Beauty and the Beast: A Dramione Story
by HufflepuffMommy
Summary: It's a tale as old as time….. A retelling of a classic story with Hermione and Draco as the main characters. Will Hermione be able to win the heart of Draco and break the curse? Or will he be doomed to remain a beast for all time?
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: I've had this story idea in my head ever since I heard that Emma Watson was going to be playing Belle in the live-action version of Beauty and the Beast and I wanted so badly for Tom Felton to play the Beast! Alas, that wasn't the case. So, while this story is well known, I have decided to re-tell it with Draco and Hermione instead of Belle and Prince Adam/Beast. I own neither the Harry Potter characters nor the Beauty and the Beast storyline (sadly). I hope you enjoy! ~HufflepuffMommy_

* * *

Free.

That was the only word registering in Draco's mind. He. Was. _Free_.

A hand clapped him on the back, pulling him out of his shock. One of his friends who was sitting behind him, Blaise Zabini, was saying something about a party and all Draco could do was nod before a grin slowly spread over his face.

How Potter and Granger did it, he would never know, but somehow their testimony changed the course of his future. He had known, without a doubt, that he was going to spend the rest of his days in Azkaban for all the wrongdoings he did during the Wizarding War. Apparently, almost everyone in the audience attending his trial thought so too as there was murmuring so loud, that no one realized that the judge was banging his gavel, trying to get the room back to order.

"Order! ORDER!" shouted the judge. "Oh for Merlin's sake…" He lifted his wand and pointed it to his voicebox. " _Sonorus._ ORDER!"

Everyone in the room quieted it at once, turning their attention back to the Ministry Official judge.

"Yes, well, now that I have everyone's attention, I wanted to remind Mr. Malfoy that even though he is free from Azkaban, that there will still be repercussions for his actions."

Draco straightened his features and nodded solemnly, "Yes, sir. Of course."

"The first being," the judge continued, "Is for you and your family to pay the sum of one hundred thousand gallons to help fix damages caused by the War."

Draco nodded and glanced at his mother who was sitting to his left. She gave him a reassuring smile and a nod before he returned his attention to the judge.

"You will also need to stay out of any and all trouble for the next five years. Any wind of you causing any sort of mischief or mayhem will land yourself in a cell, do you understand, young man?"

Draco gulped and nodded.

"Good. And finally, you will receive a visit from a Ministry Official for mandatory check-ins at least once a year; more if we see fit."

Draco nodded once again, "Yes sir. I understand."

The judge nodded at him. "You are dismissed, Mr. Malfoy. Let us all hope that we won't see you here again." He banged the gavel one last time, ending the court session.

* * *

The rest of the day was a blur for Draco; true to Blaise's word, they did indeed have a party which lasted almost twenty-four hours. There was lot's of drinking, food, dancing, and even more drinking all around the manor. Eventually, Narcissa had had enough and kicked everyone out. For the first time since the trial ended, Draco was able to go to sleep, and this time, he was relaxed enough to know he wouldn't be plagued with nightmares of a cold, dark cell.

Narcissa waited until 9 the next morning to stroll into her son's bedroom and flicked her wand towards the drapes which casted bright sunlight all around the room.

Draco hissed and threw a pillow over his face, "Mother, would you _kindly_ shut the curtains."

"Draco, you have slept long enough. I am leaving within an hour and I wanted to talk to you before I do so."

"Leave?" asked Draco, pulling the pillow away from his face. He squinted at the sunlight, which was shining behind his mother. "Where are you going?"

"I have decided that I am moving to France. We have that little chateau there that will be a better fit for me to live in."

Draco sat up on his elbows, confusion etched into his brows. "You're moving there?"

"Yes, Draco. The Manor, it's just…." She closed her eyes and pursed her lips, "I just can't live here anymore."

Draco frowned slightly, but nodded. He didn't blame his mother; over the past few years many horrible things had happened within the walls of the manor. However, he was sure this move was more because of his father perishing away in Azkaban than anything else.

He laid back down on his pillow, closing his eyes and sighing. "Well, you do what you need to do. I'm going to get a few more hours of sleep. Send me an owl when you get settled."

Narcissa raised a brow at her son. "I will be sure to do so." She started walking towards the door, before she stopped and looked back at her son. "Don't forget to go to Gringotts today and take out the money for the-"

"Mother. I _know_. I will do it later. For now, I plan to lay in this bed until I feel like getting up." He closed his eyes and he snuggled into his pillow. "Have Millie help you move whatever you need into the chateau, but make sure she's back before supper time."

Narcissa pursed her lips at her son, sighed to herself, then nodded even though he couldn't see. "Of course. Sleep well, my son."

Draco mumbled something as she quietly closed the door behind her.

* * *

It was noon when Draco finally got out of bed. With a yawn and stretch, he smiled to himself. He felt like a new man. A new, _free_ , man. He could finally leave the manor on his own and do and go wherever he wanted. His mother's voice rang in his mind, reminding him to go to Gringotts. Checking the time, he knew he still had hours to go before he needed to get there before closing. He stood, stripped his pajamas off, leaving them on the floor for a house elf to fetch, and made his way to the oversized connected bathroom for a nice, hot, leisurely shower.

* * *

Draco grumbled as he walked through the cold streets of Diagon Alley. Being on house arrest while he was undergoing trial made him forget that the weather had changed from the hot summer to the bitter cold winter. He had taken his time earlier today, first with a long shower then having an extravagant meal now that his appetite was back. A floo call with Blaise, making plans for another party later that evening had him lose track of time. He had just thirty minutes to get to Gringotts before it closed.

Closing his eyes against the cold wind, he didn't see the elderly witch, selling roses on the side of the street. He knocked into her, nearly toppling her and her roses to the ground.

"Watch it!" he barked at her, not stopping to see if she was alright.

Her gnarled hand gripped the table to steady her as she watched him walk away. With a glare, she shook her head and muttered to herself as she righted a few of the flowers that had been knocked over, waving her wand over them so that they glowed.

* * *

"Draco, darling, I really do not like all this partying you are doing," said Narcissa in her most disapproving voice. She had been gone for a week and aside from a short letter after she moved into her new home, she had not heard from her son. When she decided to check in on him, she found him passed out, sleeping on one of the lounge chairs in their family room, his hair tousled and his clothes slept in from the day before. The room itself was tidy, but that was due to the house elves cleaning up after all the guests had left.

Once she roused her son and had some tea made, she made herself comfortable in one of the armchairs, sipping her tea delicately while Draco stared at his, grumbling.

"Mother, I am a grown man-"

"Grown man? Please, Draco. You're only 18," she said, tutting under her breath.

"Yes, well, that didn't seem to bother you when I was newly 17 and had this branded onto me," he said, pulling up his sleeve and sticking his arm out so his mother could see the Dark Mark on his skin.

She set down her tea, and cleared her throat, "You know very well that I did not want you to get branded. That was your father's doing. Plus, with the Dark Lord-"

" _Don't_ call him that," Draco snarled, "He was no _Lord_."

"Fine, with Voldemort living here, it didn't seem we had a choice, did we?" she said.

Covering his arm back up, he ignored her comment, and took a lengthy sip of his tea. "Why are you here, Mother? I thought you couldn't be here anymore."

"I said I couldn't _live_ here, I never said I couldn't, or wouldn't, visit. Besides, maybe if you wrote your dear Mother every once in awhile, I wouldn't have to resort to coming over unannounced to check in on you."

"Well, you checked, I'm alive," he closed his eyes and rubbed his temples.

She tsked under her breath, pulling out a vial from her pocket, "Here, take this. It should help with the hangover I'm sure you have."

Draco took the vial, unstoppered it, and drank the contents in one swig. "Thanks," he said, closing his eyes and leaning back onto the couch.

"Oh, so my son _does_ remember his manners? It's nice to know," she said dryly.

Draco smirked, his eyes still closed, "Yes, mother. It's hard to lose all the training ingrained to me." He opened his eyes and looked at her, feeling better now that the potion was working through his system. "Are you staying for dinner?"

She raised a brow at him.

He rolled his eyes, but smiled. "Sorry, I mean, Mother, will you _please_ join me for dinner?"

Narcissa nodded, "I would be delighted."

* * *

Once he and his mother had dined and were about to retire to the family room to say their goodbyes, there was a knock at the manor door. A moment later, a small house elf appeared in the room with a faint _pop_.

"So sorry to interrupt Master Draco and Mistress Narcissa, but there is a women at the door for you.."

"A woman you say?" Draco said, his brow raised. He looked back to his mother. "I'll go see who it is if you want to head back."

She gave Draco a nod and kissed his cheek before walking towards the enlarged fireplace while Draco wound his way to the entryway. Opening the door all the way, he found a short, elderly woman, covered in wrinkles and drenched from head to toe from the rain that had apparently started.

"Can I… help you?" he asked, his nose wrinkling at the sight, and smell, of her.

"Oh yes," creaked the lady, looking up at his face. "I was wondering if I could come in to dry off and perhaps get a spot of tea to warm up? In return, I have this enchanted rose I could offer you." She pulled out a red rose, slightly glowing in her hand and held it out to him.

The wrinkles around her eyes and lips creased as she smiled up at him, but Draco frowned, shaking his head. "No, I don't think so. You'll get the floors all wet, not to mention that scent rolling off of you will probably linger in the house hours after your gone. Besides, what would I do with a glowing rose?" he sneered.

The woman gave him a pleading look, "Please, young man? I promise I won't be any trouble. And the rose is-"

Draco cut her off by holding up a hand then stared at her for a moment, giving her a hard look. "You're that old woman from Diagon Alley the other week. The one who ran into me and nearly knocked me over."

She shook her head but Draco cut her off once more. "Yes, it _was_ you. I'd know your face, and stench anywhere," he spat.

"Don't be deceived by appearances, young boy," the old witch said. "Beauty is found within."

Draco chuckled, "Yeah? Well, I don't care. Go bestow your _beauty_ on someone else."

He was about to shut the door on the old woman, when a bright light surrounded her and Draco had to close his eyes as the light brightened. When he opened them again, a beautiful woman, with long, flowy blonde hair stood before him. She seemed to be radiating a soft light all around her.

"Wha-Who…. Who are you?" he asked. "What happened to that old hag?"

The lady tsked and shook her head, "I am that old lady, Draco Malfoy. And you, are one cruel, heartless young man."

"Look, I'm sorry," said Draco, opening the door all the way. "Why don't you come in? I'll apologize profusely, have our elf make you the finest tea, and we can all put this behind us." He flashed her his signature, charming Malfoy smile.

"Your charm won't work this time. You need to learn that who you are on the outside is not a reflection of who you are in the inside. I hereby place a curse upon you-"

"A curse? But-"

This time, she cut him off, speaking louder. "A curse that will transform you into the _beast_ you act like. A curse that can only be broken by true love. If you can learn to love another, and earn their love in return, then, the curse will be broken. Otherwise, you'll be doomed to remain a beast for all time."

"Wait-" said Draco, nearly pleading, wishing he hadn't left his wand in the other room, making him defenseless.  
But it was too late. The witch cast her spell. Draco fell the floor in agonizing pain as his body transformed. The last thing he saw before blacking out was his hand, enlarged and covered in light, blonde fur.


	2. Chapter 2

_Sorry in advance for the shortness of this chapter. I promise the next one will be longer. Enjoy!_

 _PS - Yes, I used lines from the BatB movie, how could I not? ~HufflepuffMommy_

* * *

-One Year Later-

Hermione Granger straightened her spine as she stood in front of the gates to Malfoy Manor. Why they chose _her_ to check in on Draco Malfoy was beyond her, but, she wasn't in a position to argue, or reject, the assignment.

 _At least not yet,_ she thought to herself.

With a deep, calming breath, she squared her shoulders and walked up to the gates, pressing a pass against it that will grant her entry. The sun was starting to set and she was happy to know that after this task, she could go home and relax with a bath and glass of wine.

As she walked the pathway to the entrance, she noted how the once lustrous yard was now overrun with weeds and dying grass. The fountain, no longer flowing, was green with mold that had grown over time. The manor itself seemed darker in color, with vines covering most of the outside and fanning themselves over the windows.

Shaking her head, she looked forward until she reached the steps that led up to the double entrance doors.

Another calming breath, a quick count to 5, and she knocked.

She waited a minute, her brows frowning as no one answered. She knocked again, louder this time.

When she was greeted with silence, she reached for the doorknob and received a zap to her hand.

Hissing, she shook her hand and glared at the door. "Alright, guess I'll have to force my way in."

She was surprised when the simple _Alohamora_ spell worked the first time, the door creaking open as soon as the tumbler clicked out of place. She peeked her head through the doorframe.

"Hello?" she called out, opening the door wider.

The entry way was dark and dusty. Hermione slowly took her wand out from her pocket and whispered, " _Lumos_."

She frowned in confusion as she looked around the dusty room. She was told that Malfoy was still living in the manor, though by the looks of it, it seems as though the place had been deserted for a while.

A creek upstairs made her jump slightly.  
"Hello?" she called out again, a little louder. "It's Hermione Granger from…. from the Ministry. I am here to check in on Malfoy. I mean, Draco Malfoy."

Another creek above her had her looking up then a noise to her right made her gasp and turn so fast she nearly fell.

"What is going on?" she asked out loud, though mostly to herself. She walked slowly towards where she heard the noise, squinting her eyes. "Is anyone here?"

"What do you want?" came a gruff voice from around the corner.

Hermione gasped at the suddenness of his voice. "Malfoy? Is that you?" she asked, turning the towards the sound and was met with a grand staircase that broke off into two directions on either side, which were then met with even more stairs. "Can you come down here so I can talk to you for a moment?"

"No," came the gruff voice again, coming from the left of where the stairs split. Hermione walked slowly towards the first step.

"Malfoy, it's mandatory that I check in on you-."

"Well, you're here. I'm here. All is well." He waited a beat. "Now _leave_."

If Hermione didn't know any better, she could have sworn she heard him growl that last word.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple," she said, taking two more steps up.

"Don't!" he barked. This time, she indeed heard the growl in his voice.

Not one to be told what to do by someone like Malfoy, Hermione took another step. "Come on Malfoy, don't make this any more difficult than it already is. I just need to check in on you, ask a few questions, then I'll be on my way."

"I'd rather not be in _your_ presence, if you don't mind," came the irritated voice Hermione knew.

She raised a brow at him. "If that's the way you want to go, I can have someone come here and take you to Azkaban instead."

She waited as he mulled over his answer and heard some faint swear words. She took another step up.

"Fuck. Fine. Wait for me in the entry parlor. I'll be there in a moment," he said.

She was about to respond with a retort but she heard him stomp away from the steps and then a door slam. With an irritated sigh, she turned around and found her way back to the dark and dusty parlor.

Not wanting to sit on the small sofa that was covered in dust and cobwebs, she walked around the room, looking at all the different, dust-collected trinkets on the mantel.

She saw movement from the corner of her eye and turned quickly to find a rather large figure walk into the room and sit in an arm chair, which happened to be in the darkest corner of the room.

"Still sulking around I see," she muttered to herself with an eyeroll. She conjured up a clipboard with her wand and began reading off the paper. "As agreed to the terms that were bestowed upon you after the end of the trial, they have sent me to come in and do a check up on you. So tell me, Malfoy, what have you been up to this past year?" She positioned her quill above the paper, waiting to write down his answer, and looking anywhere but at him.

Draco chuckled quiety, "Oh, you know Granger. This and that..."

"Do you have a cold or something?" Hermione asked, finally looking up. "You're voice sounds… different."

Draco cleared his throat, trying to make it sound as normal as possible. "Why Granger, I never realized you paid so much attention to my voice before. Perhaps that is why you are here and not some other Ministry lackey?"

She huffed at his direction, "That isn't.. That wasn't… oh never mind." She scribbled some notes down before clearing her throat. "We have noted that you have submitted the requested amount to the ministry, so, um, thank you for that."

Draco just snorted but didn't say anything, waiting for her to continue.

Without thinking, Hermione moved to the sofa and sat down. She immediately regretted this as a puff of dust surrounded her, making her cough. She got up, coughing into her hand while using her clipboard to fan away the assaulting air.  
"Why on earth is this place so _filthy_?" she finally asked.

"Excuse me?" asked Draco.

"You heard me. This..." she said, indicating to the room, "all dark, and… filthy… this is not pureblood standards."

"And just how would you know about _pureblood standards_ , Granger?" he said, rising from his seat.

Hermione's mouth dropped open as Draco loomed over her. He was always taller than her, but now…

"What….. What happened to you?" she asked, wanting to take a step back, but instead stood where she was.

"Nothing," Draco grumbled, stepping away from her and moving further into the darkened corner.

Hermione took a cautious step forward, squinting at him. "Come into the light."

When Draco just stood there, not moving or saying anything, Hermione cast lumos towards him. She gasped and dropped her wand and clipboard, placing both hands over her mouth. His whole body and face were covered in light blond fur that matched the same color as it was while they were at Hogwarts. He had fangs with a jutted jaw, and horns that curled at the top of his head. He was barefoot as his feet were now three times larger than normal and looked more like paws than feet. His eyes, though the same silvery blue they'd always been, were bigger and currently glaring straight at the curly-haired brunette.

"Malfoy... What... what _happened_ to you?" she asked, finally finding her voice.

"What?" he snapped. "Don't like my new look?"

"I'm serious," she said, taking a cautious step forward. "What…"

"It's none of your concern Granger," Draco said, snarling at her and walking away.

"You know I have to report this-"

"You will do no such thing!" he said, turning around so quickly and so fast that he made Hermione jump. She recovered quickly and glared at him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well, you've obviously been up to some serious dark magic if-"

"You think _I_ did this? To myself? You're fucking crazy, you know that?"

"But… then what happened?" she asked, letting her arms uncross and fall to her side.

"I told you. It's none of your concern," he said, glancing away from her before tilting his head and leaning down to pick something up. Hermione's wand looked like a tiny stick in the giant paw where his hand had once been.

Hermione eyed her wand, then his face, before she licked her lips and asked quietly, "Can I have my wand back?" She held her hand out. "Please?"

Draco twirled the vine-wood wand in his enlarged hand. "Actually, I think I'll keep this a bit longer." He turned and started walking away. "Can't have you leave and go blabbing to the whole Wizarding community about my… condition."

Hermione had no choice but to follow, noting a tail peeking out from his oversized robes. She cleared her throat as she walked faster to catch up to him, "You can't keep me here, Malfoy-"

"Yeah?" he said challengingly, "Watch me."

Hermione huffed out an impatient sigh. "The Ministry knows I came here today to check in on you. If I go missing, this is the first place they'll look."

Draco stopped at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the two different wings of the manor. He stood there, clenching her wand in his hand.

"I… I promise I won't tell anyone," Hermione said, stepping up next to him, trying to look at his face, causing him to look away.

"Sorry Granger, but your word means shit to me," he said, taking the steps three at a time to the landing where they split off. He was facing the left side when he stopped and said, "You can choose a room in the East wing. But stay out the West Wing. That's mine and forbidden from anyone else."  
Hermione had to run up the stairs to catch up. "What do you mean, 'pick a room'? I'm not staying here, Malfoy. With or without my wand, I can just walk out the manor door if I wanted."

He turned to face her and she could have sworn he smirked. "Go ahead and try. You can't apparate in or out of the manor, the wards won't allow it. The door's are charmed so that they lock automatically... and without magic," he said, waving her wand at her, "You can't open them. Floo's are shut down as well."

Hermione scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest again as she watched Draco turn back around and walk up the stairs to his wing. "Sleep tight, Granger."


	3. Chapter 3

_As promised, this chapter is much longer than Chapter 2 and I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it._  
 _Also, I apologize for the long wait for this chapter - I decided to enter a Valentine's Day one shot contest so I was working on that the past few days._  
 _Thanks for reading! ~HufflepuffMommy_

* * *

Hermione was determined to find a way out. Once Draco had retired to his wing, Hermione checked every area she could think of to escape. She tried the floo in every fireplace she came across, but they were locked up tight. Doors and windows that lead outside would give her a jolt or burn her fingers. She even tried apparating but gave up when she was still rooted to the same spot. With a defeated sigh, she found her way back to the stairs and picked the first room she found in the East Wing. The manor had grown dark as the night progressed and Hermione didn't feel comfortable roaming the halls as the night wore on.

She was curious though as she didn't see another single person, or creature, within it's walls, not even house elves. Her stomach growled as she crawled onto the bed, wishing she had more than just a salad for lunch. She tossed and turned a good part of the night until she couldn't stand it any longer.

Using the moonlight that was filtering in through the vine-covered windows, Hermione walked slowly down the stairs to where the kitchen was, remembering its location from when she was walking around the manor earlier.

She heard voices from behind the closed kitchen door and felt a sense of relief that she wasn't the only person, besides Draco, who was there. She opened the door, expecting to see a slew of house elves, but was met with… emptiness. Confused and slightly disappointed, she walked fully into the kitchen.

"Hello?" she called out. "Is anyone here?"

She heard a tinkering sound next to her, but only saw some appliances on the counters. Another sound behind her had her turning, only to be met with nothing.

"Ok. What's going on here?" she asked outloud to herself.

"Um, is the missess needings anything?" came a small, squeaky voice.

Hermione looked around, trying to find the house elf but to no avail. "Er, I was just... Wondering if I could get something to eat? A… uh, sandwich perhaps?" she said to empty room.

All of a sudden, the ice box opened and fixings for a sandwich came floating to the counter, landing on a plate that had hopped out from the cupboard. Hermione watched in amazement as a glass bounced lightly across the counter and filled itself with some pumpkin juice. She walked slowly over to the counter, trying to figure out how everything was happening, when a goblet bounced next to her and said "Is that alright, miss?"

Hermione's eyes widened, "You're… you're alive?"

The goblet nodded, "Yes, miss. We was house elves before this though."

Hermione picked up the finished sandwich and took a bite, leaning a hip on the counter. "What happened to you? And…. to Malfoy?"

"We does not talk about it, miss. It was a bad, bad day in the Malfoy home when that witch placed the curse-"

"Oh, so he was _cursed_ ," Hermione whispered to herself.

"So sorry miss, Millie shouldn't have said that." The little goblet walked over to the nearby wall and started banging it's rim around the top, cracking it.

"No! No, stop!" said Hermione going over and picking up Millie before she hit herself some more.

"Millie broke an order miss. We is to never to speak of that night, the master said so."

"Well, your master won't know you said anything so no need to abuse yourself," she said as she looked over the goblet in her hand. "You have a little chip there… if I had my wand, I could fix it for you but Malfoy took it."

"Milie is ok, miss. I does not feel it anyways."

Hermione frowned and set down the goblet back on the counter and went back to her sandwich. A barstool hobbled over to her and nudged her side until she sat down, thanking it.

"This is just… absurd," she said, looking around. She watched as more and more items around the kitchen started to move. She wondered if they were all previously house elves or if everything was just enchanted.

Finishing up her sandwich and juice, Hermione yawned into the back of her hand, thoroughly exhausted now that her stomach was full.

"Would miss like some assistance going back to her room?" asked the goblet.

"Er, that would be lovely, thanks," said Hermione.

Millie swiveled around and called out another house elf's name, Lumey.

Lumey, who happened to be turned into a candelabra, bounced over to Hermione, his candles already lit.

"Lumey will assist you to your room, miss," said Millie.

Hermione picked up Lumey by the handle, "I appreciate the light, Lumey. The manor is very dark at this time of night."

"Lumey is happy to assist, miss," he said as they made their way back through the manor towards the room she picked.

"Tell me Lumey," Hermione said as they glanced towards Draco's wing, "Is anyone allowed in Malfoy's room?"

"Oh no, miss. No one is allowed, 'cept for the master and the Mistress," Lumey supplied.

"Mistress?" she asked.

"Lumey cannot say anymore, miss. 'Tis against the rules," he said.

"I see. I guess I will just have to see for myself in the morning," Hermione said as she set down the candelabra on the nightstand and crawled under the covers.

Lumey dimmed the lights of his candles, "Goodnight, miss."

"G'night, Lumey," Hermione said, her eyes already closing and drifting off to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Hermione woke to someone banging on the bedroom door. She glanced over to the nightstand and noted that Lumey was gone, probably having left soon after she fell asleep.

"Granger! Wake up!" came the growling voice on the other side of the door.

Scowling at the direction of the door, Hermione tossed the covers off of her and stalked towards it, arms across her chest.

"Are you going to give me my wand?" she demanded through the door.

"Fuck no. You'd probably hex my balls off as soon as you get your hands on it," he said.

"Would serve you right!" she shouted.

"What I _came_ for," he said, ignoring her. "Was to ask you why you were bothering my house elves last night? What were you doing lurking around the manor?"

With a huff, Hermione opened the door and stared at the beast in front of her.

"I was 'lurking' around the manor last night because I was starving! You left me wandless and with no food for the whole evening, so I had to do something." She tapped her foot in annoyance. "You can't keep me here, Malfoy. It may be the weekend now, but people will start looking for me."

Draco growled and ran a hairy paw through his main of hair. "I know."

"I- you do?" she said, fully expecting an argument again.

"Look, just… meet me downstairs for breakfast ok? We can…..talk." His nose wrinkled at the word and Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Fine. I'll be down in ten minutes. I'd like to take a shower and a change of clothes would be nice to have," she demanded.

She shut door in his face before he could say anything and she could have sworn she heard him growling profanities as he walked away.

Smirking in satisfaction, she opened the door to the attached bathroom and marveled at the size. _Hm_ , she thought to herself, _I might be more than 10 minutes. That claw foot tub is calling my name._

She had been soaking in the tub for at least 20 when she heard some sort of commotion outside the bathroom door. Sighing, she pulled the plug and let the water drain as she dried off with one of the large, plush towels. With it tightly wrapped around her figure, she walked out of the bathroom and was confused when an armoire was set right in front of the door.

"Er…. hello?" she asked the piece of furniture.

The armoire shook and opened as she heard a squeaky voice say, "Misses is need in need of clothes? Polly has lots of assortments for you."

Hermione smiled at the house elf who was transformed into the armoire. "Well, thank you Polly. What do you have?"

Polly opened up a drawer that contained many different sizes and styles of underthings. Blushing slightly, Hermione rummaged through it until she found some pieces that were her size.

"Does, uh, Malfoy just happen to have these on hand for anyone who comes to visit?" she asked.

"The master sometimes has guests that stay the night and he wanted to make sure they had changes of clothes, miss," Polly informed.

"I see," she said, looking through the clothes that were hung up and chose a dark blue sweater and some black leggings.

"I think this will do. Thank you Polly,"

Hermione went back into the bathroom and closed the door to change. When she opened the door again, the armoire was gone.  
She slipped her feet into her flats she had with her, and walked down towards the kitchens. When she passed the dining room, she heard a gruff voice talking, "Where the hell is she? She said she would be 10 minutes and it's been nearly half an hour."

"Now dear, you must be patient," came the voice of Narcissa Malfoy.

"I'm done being patient. I'm going to go see what's-"

"You will do no such thing. Sit down and wait like a gentleman," the matriarch ordered.

The door was slightly ajar, and Hermione went over and peeked through the crack. She saw Malfoy sitting uncomfortably on one of the dining room chairs at the head of the table, looking thoroughly pissed off with a scowl on his face. On his right was a plate setting, but his mother was nowhere to be found.

Frowning, she stepped back, took a calming breath, before opening the door all the way.

"About fucking time," muttered Draco.

Hermione ignored him and went over to the chair with the empty plate setting. "Is this seat for me?"  
"Who else would it be for?" he snarked in response.

"I don't know… your mother perhaps?" she said, sitting down and unfolding the cloth napkin to place in her lap.

A tea cup was turned upside down in front of her plate and she flipped it upright before grabbing the handle to the teapot in the middle to the table.

"Hello Miss Granger," said the teapot.

Hermione nearly dropped the fine china, but caught herself just in time.

"Mrs..… Mrs.. Malfoy?" asked Hermione, bringing the teapot up to eye level.

"Good to see you, Miss Granger," came the reply.

"It… it is?" she asked, her eyes wide as saucers.

"Yes, indeed. Now, are you going to pour yourself a cuppa or are you just going to hold me all day?"

"Oh, um, sorry, I'll just...I'll be quick." She poured the hot liquid from teapot ever-so-gently then placed it back on the table.

Everyone was quiet as Hermione added some sugar to her tea and took a small sip.

"Well, now that everyone is settled, Draco, why don't you have the food brought out?" said the teapot.

"MILLIE! Food!" roared Draco. Hermione winced at the loudness.

"That wasn't necessary," reprimanded the teapot that was Mrs. Malfoy.

"Well, if _someone_ hadn't taken her sweet time in the bath, maybe I wouldn't be so angry," Draco said, shooting a glare towards Hermione.

"Well, if _someone_ hadn't kept me hostage last night, maybe I-"

A high pitched whistling sound came from the teapot, stopping the argument.

"Let's just have our meal, hm?" the teapot suggested.

"Fine," said Draco.

"Fine," said Hermione.

Food carts rolled in from the kitchen and platters of food jumped onto the table. Serving utensils scooped up food and placed them on the empty plates. When they were done, Hermione quietly thanked them before picking up her fork. She glanced over at Draco, who was literally eating off of the plate with his mouth. Hermione wrinkled her nose at him before turning her attention to her own breakfast.

"I apologize for my son," said Mrs. Malfoy. "He lost all manners when this curse was brought upon him."

"You try eating with these paws for hands," Draco said between bites.

"Seeing as I don't have hands to eat with, I really can't say," came his mother's prim reply.

Draco grunted, but slowed his pace to one that didn't spill food all over the table.

After a few minutes of silence, Mrs. Malfoy spoke again, "Draco, I believe you have something of Miss Grangers?"

"And I told you," he said, glaring at the teapot, "That that _won't_ be a good idea-"

"Draco _Lucius_ Malfoy, you give Miss Granger back her wand...now!" his mother demanded.

Draco scowled towards his mother while his hand went to his cloak pocket and procured a wand and shoved it towards Hermione.

She looked between the two of them; the beast and the teapot, and was highly amused that such a delicate piece of china could boss around the beast that was Malfoy. It took everything in her to not laugh out loud. Instead, she cleared her throat, plucked the wand from Draco's hand, and placed it on her lap, before continuing to eat her breakfast.

Draco eyed her carefully, unsure if she was going to hex him at any moment. He continued to watch her as he ate the rest of his meal while she pointedly ignored his staring.

When their meal was done, Hermione wiped her mouth delicately with the cloth napkin from her lap and smiled over to the teapot. "Thank you for breakfast, Mrs. Malfoy, but I simply must be going now." She went to stand but the arms on the chair she was sitting on wrapped around her waist, effectively keeping her the seated position.

Hermione shot Draco a glare. "Let. Me. Go."

Draco grinned a toothy grin at her. "Oh we will, Granger. But first, we have some conditions," he said, nodding his head over to his mother.

Hermione looked at the teapot and raised a brow, "Conditions? What kind of conditions?"

The teapot hopped off the table and onto a nearby tea-cart. "Come, let's go into the parlor and have a chat. Draco, please bring Miss Granger."

Draco smirking as he stood and walked behind Hermione's chair, but before he could lift it up, Hermione gripped her wand and muttered a spell, making the constraints around her waist release her.  
She stood and looked at Draco, giving him a steely look, before slipping her wand up her sleeve. "I can get there myself, thanks." She turned on her heel, her head up, and followed the tea-cart as the bewildered Draco followed shortly after.


	4. Chapter 4

_Apologies again for the long wait, as well as the shortness of this chapter. I've been dealing some sickly kiddos, one of which has an upper respiratory infection. It's been long nights and tiring days. I had a lot of fun with this chapter though. I love sneaking in actual quotes from the Beauty and the Beast movie. You may even start singing at some point... you'll see where. ;) Enjoy! ~HufflepuffMommy_

* * *

"What kind of conditions?" Hermione repeated as she walked into the room, arms crossed in front of her chest.

"As I'm sure you are aware Miss Granger, a curse has been placed upon the manor," said Mrs. Malfoy.

"Yes, I figured that out," said Hermione, going over to the sofa and casting a quick _scourgify_ on it before sitting down. "What happened, exactly?"

Draco sulked into the room and started pacing by the fireplace. "Some witch came to the manor and wasn't pleased when I wouldn't let her in."

Hermione raised a brow towards him. "I feel like there's more to the story then that. Do you know who cast it?"

"If we knew that, _Granger_ , we wouldn't need you, now would we?" he bit back.

"Me? What do you need _me_ for?" she asked, turning her attention to the teapot.

"Seeing as how neither Draco nor myself can leave the manor without causing certain… _alarm_ , we need someone to go for us. Maybe find the witch who cast this and she if she can, or will, reverse the spell."

Hermione thought about that for a second, her brows close together. "I guess I can do. But I don't know what she looks like-"

"Old, wrinkly, smells like dragon dung. I saw her selling roses in Diagon Alley a few days before she did this," Draco spat, motioning to himself. "But that was a year ago so who knows if she's around anymore."

Hermione frowned in thought. "Have you considered finding the counter-curse for it?" she asked a moment later.

"We've browsed our library, but haven't found anything yet," supplied Mrs. Malfoy.

Hermione nodded, "Do you mind if I take a look? I may be able to-"

"No, you can't," Draco said, interrupting her.

Hermione huffed out an irritated sigh. "Ok, fine. Well, I'll see what I can find and if I come across a witch those _flattering_ features," she said, rolling her eyes at Draco's direction, making him growl under his breath.

"We appreciate your help, Miss. Granger," said Mrs. Malfoy.

Hermione stood up. "I really should be going before someone starts to look for me," she said.

Hermione didn't wait to be excused, but started walking towards the front doors. She could hear Draco walking fast behind her.

"Granger!" he barked, grabbing her elbow with his paw.

Hermione whirled and glared at him, trying to yank her arm free.

"Don't. Tell. Anyone," he snarled before finally letting her go.

"I already said I wouldn't," she said before turning on her heel, opening the manor with her wand, and walked out without second glance at the beast behind her.

Draco slammed the door and stalked back to the parlor where his mother was still at.

"I still don't see why we needed to involve her this," he grumbled.

"You've said yourself that she has been branded 'The Smartest Witch' of your generation. I think if anyone can help us, it's her. Though, why you wouldn't tell her of the parameters of the curse-"

"Mother, do you really think I'll be able to break the curse by having someone, especially _Granger_ , fall in love with me? I mean… look at me!" he roared.

Mrs. Malfoy tsked under her breath. "You'll just have to help her see past all that, that's all."

"I was a monster to her before I was turned into one. There is no way Granger will ever fall in love with me. Besides, the rules state that I have to fall in love as well and there no way I could love that bushy-haired, know-it-all of a witch."

Mrs. Malfoy made a noncommittal noise. "Alright, dear. Though, if you want her to actually start respecting you, maybe you should try and act like a gentleman. Straighten up, don't slouch. Don't growl at her. Just… _talk_ to her."

Draco chuckled darkly. "What makes you think she'll be back? She probably just said she'd help so she could leave and never step foot in this place again."

"If she wanted to leave without helping us, she would have done so before breakfast was served, with probably a hex on her way out. But, she stayed and she listened. Her curiosity is peaked. She'll be back," Mrs. Malfoy said knowingly. Her tea cart started to move to leave the room. "I'm going to check on things in the kitchen. See you tonight, dear."

Draco grumbled as he went back to his room; he knew his mother was wrong; no matter how he treated her, he knew Hermione Granger would only see him as a monster.

* * *

Hermione had no intention, whatsoever, in helping the Malfoy's. She was going to head back to her flat, change into a pair of her _own_ clothes, and forget about the last 24hrs by immersing herself into a book.

That was her plan.

Too bad her mind wouldn't let her stop thinking about Malfoy and his predicament.

She sat on her couch, book in hand, but her eyes were unfocused, trying to recall if she saw anyone in Diagon Alley selling roses within the past year. Shaking her head, she tried again to focus back on her book.

When she read the same sentence four times without retaining it, she closed the book with a snap and grumbled to herself as she placed it back on the bookshelf.

She decided that a trip to Diagon Alley wouldn't be too bad and maybe a new book will peek her interest rather than ones in her flat that she's read before.

Donning her long winter coat, she floo'd herself to the Leaky before making her way into Diagon Alley.

The first thing she smelled was fresh baked bread. She smiled and glanced over to the new bakery that opened a year or so before. It was always the same type of bread and rolls for sale, but she would be lying if she said they weren't delicious. Perhaps she'll pick some up on her way home…

"Hello Miss Granger!" called the baker.

Hermione waved and smiled "Hello, how are you?"

"I'm well. Where're you off too?"

"Oh, just the bookshop, I need a new story and-"

"Ah that's nice!" he turned his head behind him "Marie! The baguette's! Hurry up!"

"Coming father!" came a voice within the shop.

Hermione smiled, "I'll stop by on my way back to pick out something."

The baker gave her a friendly wave as she continued her day down the cobblestone path.

Without meaning too, she kept an eye out for any elderly witches selling roses, but by the time she got the bookshop, she found no one with the description Malfoy had given her.

When she entered the store, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, a smile formed on her face. This was a new store and not quite as busy as Flourish and Blotts. She liked how the small size of the shoppe welcomed her in like a childhood home.

The elderly shopkeeper, Mr. Watson, gave her wrinkly smile. "Hello Miss Granger! What can I do for you today?"

She smiled at the old man. "Hello Mr. Watson. Just looking around today. Have you got anything new?"

The old man chuckled. "Not since yesterday," he said with a wink.

Hermione blushed, nearly forgetting that she stopped by briefly on her lunch break the day prior.

She browsed the books and came across one she has been eying for awhile. She took it off the shelf and began thumbing through the pages.

"Why don't you take that one? It'll be on the house."

Hermione looked at him stunned. "Oh, I couldn't, I have the galleons-"

"Nonsense," he said waving her off, "I insist."

"We'll, thank you, very much," she said, grinning at him.

They chatted for a bit more until the door chimed, signaling a new customer. Hermione waved goodbye as she exited, her nose her new book and promptly collided with a tall, muscular body.

"Hermione?" asked the voice.

Hermione looked up and tried not to groan. "Hello Cormac… how are you?"  
He gave her a grin, "I'm well. I stopped by your office yesterday but you weren't in… avoiding me?" he teased.

Hermione rolled her eyes and started walking away, knowing he'd be following her. "No, Cormac. I was _working_."

"Ah, yes, I figured that, so I stopped by your flat, and-"

"Cormac!" she said, turning around, "Please… just… stop. Ok? We went out for a bit in 6th year, but that was it. It's over. Please do not ask me out again."

Cormac held up his hands in defeat. "Alright, Hermione, alright. Though, if you change your mind, my office is only a few short steps from yours," he said with another wink.

Hermione sighed as she turned around and muttered, "Not bloody likely" before walking away.

* * *

Later that night, as Hermione ate another roll from the bakery, she turned the last page of her new book and smiled at the happy ending.

It was a fairy tale; the one with a damsel in distress, a brave prince, and a dark curse brought upon the land. Hermione couldn't help but think about Draco and the curse that he and his whole house was under. She knew she had to help him; but how?

She used her lunch break the next day to search the old library at the Ministry. The place was usually deserted as the tomes were very old and out of date, but maybe that was just what she needed. She combed through book after book to no avail. After a week of looking and coming up empty, Hermione finally gave in to defeat; there was no answer here. Her next logical step was to go back to Malfoy Manor and talk to Malfoy to get more details. Maybe even convince him to let her use his library...surely he had books that dealt with curses and the like.

When she was back at her desk, she penned a quick letter to the blonde beast, asking if it would be alright if she came over during the weekend to discuss his 'predicament.'

She didn't receive a reply back until later that evening, when her owl, Phillippe, swooped into her kitchen and dropped the reply on the table. She unrolled the parchment and squinted her eyes at the scratch marks she assumed was Malfoy's handwriting. It took about ten minutes, but she was finally able to decipher it:

 _Granger,  
_ _Saturday, noon.  
_ _-D.M.  
_ _PS. No more owls!_


	5. Chapter 5

_Once again, my apologies for the wait between chapters. Last week was just busy and I wasn't able to sit down and write. I hope you all can forgive me :) ~HufflepuffMommy_

* * *

Every Wednesday afternoon, Hermione met up with Harry and Ron at the Ministry cafeteria. She never ate the food, preferring to bring her own lunch from home, but it was one of the only times the three of them could chisel out of their busy schedules to talk and catch up. She tried to leave her work at her desk and focus only her friends, but this week her mind was whirling with all the questions she wanted to ask Malfoy that she didn't realize that both men at the table were looking at her until Harry waved a hand in front of her face, forcing to out of her reverie.

"Hm? Oh, sorry, Harry. What did you say?" she asked.

Harry chuckled as Ron smiled and shook his head, taking another bite of his sandwich.

"I _said_ ," supplied Harry, "That McLaggen is on the other side of the room and hasn't taken his eyes off of you."

Hermione grunted and rolled her eyes, not bothering to look at Cormac's direction. "I'm sure he is. I ran into him over the weekend and told him to stop bothering me, but I don't think it's getting through his thick skull."

"Do you need us to beat him to a pulp for you? It won't be any trouble, I assure you," offered Ron with a smirk.

"I can handle him just as well, thank you," said Hermione, making a face at him before they both smiled at each other and continued with their lunch.

They ate in friendly silence for a few moments before Harry spoke again. "I just remembered, you never told us how your meeting with Malfoy went."

Hermione paused mid-bite and looked at Harry. She gave a nonchalant shrug and continued eating. "Nothing interesting to report. I checked in on him and left."

"Has he changed at all in the past year?" inquired Ron.

Hermione barely contained the chuckle that threatened to escape. " _Oh if you only knew..._ " she mumbled to herself.

"What?" asked Ron.

She shook her head. "Nevermind. And to answer your question… he's changed in some areas, but still mostly a git," she said, evading.

"He didn't call you anything derogatory, did he?" asked Harry.

She shook her head again. "No, nothing like that. He was just in a grumpy and surly mood is all."

Harry nodded. "Ok. Well, at least you don't have to see him again for another year."

"Yeah.. another year…" she said, feeling bad that she was keeping the fact that she would be back to Malfoy Manor from her two best friends.

"So, 'Mione, are you still coming over to the Burrow this weekend?" asked Ron. "Bill and Fleur will be having Victoire's birthday there on Saturday."

"Oh… um. I kind of made plans but…." at the confused look on both Harry and Ron, she gave them a smile, "But I promise to stop by and say hello."

"What plans do you-"

"Oh look at the time. I need to get back to the office. That paperwork won't fill out itself you know," she said hurriedly, gathering her belongings and standing up. "I'll see you both later."

Before they had a chance to say anything, Hermione had quickly walked out of the cafeteria. Ron and Harry looked at each other, confusion etched on both of their faces.

"You don't think she's hiding anything... do you?" asked Ron.

Harry frowned as he watched Cormac get up and follow Hermione out then shook his head. "Nah. Hermione's probably just worried about her work load.. You know how she is," said Harry, standing as well and tossing out his trash, Ron following behind him.

* * *

Hermione barely got to her desk when a hand grabbed her elbow lightly, halting her steps.

She turned to see Cormac smiling widely at her. "Afternoon, Hermione."

"Cormac," she said evenly, shaking her arm free of his grip and crossing her arms in front of her. "Can I help you with something?"

"Yes, you see… There's this beautiful witch that has caught my fancy, but she keeps evading me and turning down my invitations for a date. What should I do?"

"Oh, I don't know… respect her wishes, probably?" she said.

"Come on Hermione. Dinner? You. Me… this weekend?" he asked, flashing her a smiling. She could have sworn his teeth actually sparkled.

"Cormac, I told you the other day to please stop asking me out. I am not, nor will I ever be, interested in dating you."

"What we had at Hogwarts," he continued, not evening acknowledging what she said, "Was magical. You can't give up on something like that."

"Oh, Merlin," Hermione mumbled, pinching the bridge of her nose. She took a deep breath and looked up at Cormac, still waiting with a smile on his face.

"Listen, I didn't want to tell you this before but…. What we had in 6th year… well, I was using you… to make Ron… jealous."

His smile faltered, but only slightly. "Oh. Well, just the same. I thought what we had was-"

" _Magical_. Yes, you said," she sighed. "Look, I really need to get back to work. Please Cormac… focus your sights someone else, please."

She turned around and walked towards her desk and was relieved when he didn't follow.

As soon as she sat down, three shadowed figures loomed over her. She looked up to see the faces of Padma, Pavarti, and Lavender, who all started talking at once in hoarse whispers.

"What's wrong you?"

"You're crazy!'

"He's _gorgeous_!"

Hermione sighed and picked up her quill, focusing her attention on her work. "If you three like him so much, why don't one of you try and steal his attention then?" _Then maybe he'll stop bothering me_ , she thought to herself.

The three girls, who Hermione dubbed the 'Gossiping Triplets' (since Lavendar was always with the Patil twins that she might as well have been their sister...she even started dressing like them!) didn't pay her any mind and left her desk, whispering and chattering back to their own areas. How they happened to get Ministry jobs, she'd never know. She shook her head and was finally able to work in peace, though the impending meeting with Malfoy in a few days was always in the back of her mind.

* * *

On Saturday afternoon, Hermione found herself in front of the Malfoy Manor gates, however, this time, they were already open for her. She trudged up the long walk to the steps and knocked on the door. Waiting a beat, she used her wand to unlock the door and was surprised to see that Draco was pacing the entry way.

"You're late," he growled.

She looked at her watch, "It's 12:02…"

"Which makes you late," he said.

She rolled her eyes but didn't say anything. Instead, she rummaged through her bag and pulled out a pad of paper and a pen. "Where do you want to do this?"

As an answer, Draco grunted and started walking away. Hermione sighed and followed, tired of his mood already.

He led them to a small family room, the tea cart with Mrs. Malfoy already there, waiting.

"Hello Miss Granger," said Mrs. Malfoy.

Hermione inclined a head towards the teapot, "Hello Mrs. Malfoy."

Draco sat on one of the two couches, a plume of dust rising as he did so.

Hermione coughed slightly and pulled out her wand from her pocket. "May I?" she asked, indicating to the room.

Draco shrugged and glanced towards his mother who nodded slightly (at least Hermione thought she nodded… it was rather difficult reading a teapot's body language).

With a wave of her wand, she scurgified the two couches first, before going around and removing the dust from the other areas of the room. She tackled the windows last and was pleased to see that the bright sunlight was now filling up the room.

Draco grunted when she was done, but didn't say anything else. Hermione made herself comfortable on the couch across from him as a tea cup bounced slightly in front of her. She gingerly picked it up and took a sip, pleased to note that sugar was already added to her cup.

"Thank you. Now, to get onto business. I have some questions that I thought of to help get this started."

"Of _course_ you do," mumbled Draco.

Hermione just gave him a pointed look before flipping open her notepad. "Ok. First question, when did the curse take place?"

"A week after my trials ended."

"And what, exactly, did the witch say when she cast the spell? I need it word for word, if possible."

"I've already told you," he said irritably. "She said I was a monster for not letting her inside, then turned me into the 'beast that I am'. That's it."

"You don't remember _any_ of the words of the curse… at all?" she asked skeptically.

"Sorry, but I was a bit preoccupied by being transformed, which hurt worse than the Cruciatus curse," he bit out.

Hermione sighed, writing down his response.

"What about your magic? I've noticed that…." she trailed off, seeing the scowl on his face.

"Gone," he bit out. "After I woke up, the first thing I tried to do was undo the spell with my wand, but nothing happened. I couldn't even do the most simple of spells," he muttered, not looking at her.

"And the house elves…?"

"Transformed and lost their magic as well," he stated flatly.

"Well that explains a few things..." she said quietly as she wrote down his response.

"Such as?" he snarked.

She looked up at him, noting that he was looking at her with his steel-grey eyes. "Well, to be blunt, it explains the reason your Manor is in the state that it is. It's practically deteriorating and the level of filth in this place is almost as bad as how Grimmauld Place was when we first took residence in it."

A low growl could be heard coming from Draco's direction. Hermione ignored him.

"If you would like, I could go around and clean-"

"No," stated Draco.

"Look, Malfoy, I'm just trying to help-"

"If you want to help, _Granger_ , then find out how to break this damned curse!" he roared.

"Draco," chided Mrs. Malfoy, "There's no need to be rude. Miss Granger is only offering to help, seeing as how we don't have our magic at the moment."

Draco crossed his furry arms and scowled. "Fine, but stay out of-"

"The West Wing, yes I know," said Hermione. She smiled faintly before standing up. "How about you come with me and we'll talk more about this curse of yours and try to figure something out?"

Draco raised a brow before going back to scowling. "I suppose..." he muttered.

"Will you be staying for dinner?" asked Mrs. Malfoy.

"I'm sorry, but no. I have to go to The Burrow for a birthday party, so I can't stay too long, maybe a few hours at most."

Draco's face hardened."Well, let's get this started so you can won't miss your precious time with those _Weasels_ you love so much," he said, walking out of the room.

Hermione sighed and looked to Mrs. Malfoy, "Has he always been like or is it just my presence that brings out such a surly mood?"

She didn't wait for an answer as she followed Draco the Beast to the first room.

Mrs. Malfoy smirked to herself, "No dear… just you," she said aloud to herself as her tea cart wheeled itself out and followed them.


	6. Chapter 6

The only other information Hermione got out of Malfoy was that he wasn't able to leave the Manor, unless done by magic (which he didn't have) and when she asked about his friends, he just grunted and didn't say anything else. At one point, she had heard wolves howling in the distance during her time there and he commented how they showed up after the curse was set, but had never actually seen them. Hermione had ruffled at this, considering she'd been apparating outside the gates and was walking up to the entry way without knowing such dangers were lurking so close. She informed him that she'd be apparating right at the front doors from now on.

With the little information Hermione received during that first meeting, she wasn't able to get much further in researching the curse during the following week. She owled him, late at night this time, to tell him she'd be over again the following Saturday. She told him to pull out some books from his library that he thought might help, since he still wouldn't let her in there.

 _That prat_ , she thought to herself as she watched Phillippe fly out from her window.

She never received a reply, assuming he was being grumpy that she had to go back to his place again. Well, it was no picnic for her either! As she helped clean the manor, she nearly walked into the parlor to _scourgify_ before Malfoy grabbed her by the arm and yanked her away. She saw the chandelier, which had been replaced, before he shut the doors and ushered her to another room. She was irritated at first, being handled that way, but she also realized that he was actually being careful that she wouldn't go into the room that she was tortured in. It was almost… _sweet_. Almost.

Early on Saturday morning, Hermione gathered her things and placed them in her bag before apparating to the front doors of the manor, thankful that she didn't have to walk the long distance from the gates anymore. She knocked on the door for good measure, then opened it magically before letting herself in.

"Hello?" she called out. She had expected Malfoy to be waiting at the front again, but he was nowhere to be seen. Nor was the tea-cart with Mrs. Malfoy.

She placed her coat across one of the couches in the entry room and walked into the Manor some more. As she walked up the stairs, she stopped at the landing where it split into two, and called out "Malfoy? Are you up here?"

Receiving no answer, Hermione paused only briefly before going up the steps to the West Wing. She walked quietly and carefully, down the hallway, which seemed to be much darker than the one she had stayed in previously. At the end of the hall was a set of double doors with a serpent on them. She rolled her eyes slightly and knocked on the door. Hearing no answer, she pulled open one of the doors towards her and slipped inside.

She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but it wasn't this. The room she walked into was completely torn apart. The dark green wallpaper had scratches down almost all sides of it; desks and chairs were broken and overturned on the floor; paintings were torn. On one wall was a large portrait of Draco Malfoy himself, but it was ripped in half.

A faint glow caught her eye and she turned towards the source. In front of a double paned window was a rose, under a glass cover, glowing slightly and hovering above the small table it was placed.

Slowly, carefully, she walked towards it. She knew this rose had to be involved in the curse… but how? Malfoy hadn't mentioned this to her…

Without thinking, she lifted the glass cover and was about to touch the rose when a movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention.

Draco had entered the room through an adjoining door. He looked between her and the rose, his face transforming into a hard scowl as he stormed over to the table and replaced the glass covering before glaring at Hermione.

"What are you doing in here? Didn't I warn you to never come in here?" he said angrily.

"I'm sorry… I was just-"

"Don't you know what you could have done?!" he yelled. He stood to his fullest height and towered over her. For the first time since Hermione had seen him as a beast, she was truly afraid of him.

"GET OUT!" he roared. Tossing a chair over her head, making her duck. "GEEET OOOOUT!"

Afraid for her life, Hermione turned and ran out of the room.

Draco heard her footsteps pounding down the hall as he sagged against the wall. He was about to just let her go, hoping to never see her again, when he heard the faint sound of howling in the distance.

"Shit…." he muttered, before getting up and chasing after her.

She was nearly at the door when he caught up to her. "Wait, Granger. Let me-"

She waved her wand and opened the door, stepping out in the cold, ignoring him. She tried apparating but, for some unknown reason, was unable to. She ran down the steps and was nearly at the gates when she heard a loud _BANG!_ followed by a howl of pain. Whirling her head, she saw Malfoy trying to run past the barrier of the doors, but whatever magical ward was placed, was effectively keeping him inside. He was running full force into the barrier, only to be knocked back. She turned her attention back to the gates, sure that once she passed them she would be able to apparate out, but as she got closer, she saw three giant white wolves saunter over, blocking her in.

Hermione swallowed her fear and brandished her wand.

The wolves walked closer to her, trying to surround her.

" _Stupify!_ " she called. The spell bounced off the wolves without causing any harm.

Hermione gasped and looked back towards the manor. Draco had been watching and started throwing himself into the barrier with his shoulder with more fervor.

Hermione turned around again, facing the wolves, and started walking slowly backwards towards the door.

"Easy…. Easy…." she said softly to the wolves.

They growled in response, showing their fangs.

Hermione tripped over a large branch that had fallen from one of the dead trees that lined the way towards the manor. As she scrambled up, never taking her eyes off the wolves, she picked up the branch and held it out in front of her.

She could still hear Draco trying desperately to breach the barrier from behind and she turned her head slightly at the noise.

As she did so, one of the wolves lunged.

She swung the branch just in time to knock it out of the way, right as another wolf jumped in, receiving the same treatment.

Sweat was forming on her brow and she was breathing hard as she intensely watched the wolves, waiting for another attack.

The wolf to her side went to leap and Hermione lifted the branch to defend herself when Draco appeared next her and roared loudly at it, who backed away slightly. He stood in front of her, blocking her from the creatures and she could see that his shoulder and arm were bloody and scratched up.

"Go!" he yelled to her as the wolves started advancing on him. Hermione ran quickly back to the manor and went inside, turning around a fast as she could to watch Draco and the wolves fighting.

She watched in both fascination and horror as he swung his mighty arms and beat back the wolves. One hit a tree and she heard a yelp, before the other two wolves finally ran off.

Draco turned around to look at her, to make sure she was safe, then his eyes rolled back into his head as he crumpled to the ground.

"Malfoy!" she yelled as she ran towards him.

She kneeled next to the Draco, who's face was as bloody as his arms.

"Oh, Draco…" she whispered. She took out her wand and levitated him towards the manor.

"What happened?" asked Mrs. Malfoy, who had finally emerged from the kitchens to see Hermione levitating her son through the front doors.

"Wolves," was all Hermione said, as she concentrated on not jostling the beast while she led him to the room that she had stayed in before. Mrs. Malfoy watched worriedly from the bottom of the steps, hoping her son would be ok in Miss Granger's hands.

Draco grunted as Hermione laid him down and opened his eyes slowly. He watched as Hermione conjured up a basin and used _aguamenti_ to fill it up with warm water.

"I don't have any Essence of Dittany on me but I can get some when I go home. I just want to clean the wounds first," she said as she went into the adjoining bathroom to grab more supplies.

Draco grunted and closed his eyes, his body weary from fighting the wolves and breaking through the wards.

Hermione returned with a soft washcloth and dunked it into the basin. She rung it out slightly then placed it on top of a wound that had the deepest gash.

Malfoy's eyes shot open and he pulled his arm back, growling.

"Come on, Malfoy, just hold still," she said, leaning over and placing the rag back onto his wound.

He roared in pain. "That HURT!"

"Well, if you'd hold still, it wouldn't hurt as much," she stated.

"Well, if you hadn't run away, this wouldn't have happened," he stated back.

"If you hadn't frightened me, I wouldn't have ran away!" she snapped.

He thought about that before retorting, "Well, _you_ shouldn't have been in the West Wing."

She looked at him, leveling with him. "And _you_ should learn to control your temper."

Draco scoffed and turned away, not wanting to admit that she was maybe, possibly correct.

"Now, hold still," she said calmly. "This might sting a little."

She placed the cloth back onto his wound and tried his best to stifle the groan.

"By the way," she said softly, "Thank you… for saving me."

He opened his eyes and looked at her, noting the faint blush upon her cheeks.

"You're welcome," he said softly.


	7. Chapter 7

Hermione had found that when the wolves left, she was able to apparate from outside the manor doors once again. She went home to gather some medical supplies, as well as an overnight bag, and popped back over to Malfoy's just as the sun was setting.

As she walked back into the room, Draco was sitting up, his arm wrapped in cloth strips that Hermione had to rip from some towels. He was staring up at the ceiling, lost in thought and was only aware that Hermione returned because her scent all of a sudden invaded his senses.

It was… disturbing.

"I told you that you didn't have to come back tonight," he said slightly grumpily.

"And I told _you_ ," she said, setting the bag on the desk and rummaging through it. "That I wasn't going to listen to you." She gave him a cheeky grin before pulling out a vial filled with a brownish colored liquid.

She walked over to him as she uncapped the vial, a dropper attached to the top of it was already filled up. Setting the dropper and vial aside, she took Draco's hand to pull his arm towards her before beginning to unwrap the wound.

He watched as she worked, amazed at how she didn't even bat an eye at how different and big he was.

"Well, it looks like most of the bleeding stopped," she said, inspecting his arm, "and no look of infection either." She reached over and grabbed the dropper, letting a few drops land onto the wound.

Draco grimaced slightly as he watched greenish smoke billow up from his open wounds before they started closing up within seconds.

"There," Hermione said with a smile. "All better. We should probably wrap it up over night though, just in case. I'm not sure if the curse will affect the effectiveness of the potion."

Draco inspected his arm then watched as she wrapped it up with strips of cloth that she brought from her home. When she was done, she sat on the edge of the bed and looked him in the eyes.

"Speaking of the curse… I think there things that you're not telling me," she said.

He looked away, grumbling, "I may have… left out some information, but that was for personal reasons. I want to be able to break the curse without having to conform to its….rules."

She nodded, somewhat understanding. "And the rose? What does it have to do with the curse?"

Draco sighed. "All I know is that when the last petal falls, the spell will remain forever and no amount of curse breaking will stop it."

"Have any petals fallen?" she asked.

Draco nodded, "Two, so far."

Hermione propped an elbow on her knee and rested her chin in her hand, thinking. "Then, I guess we better start really digging in."

Draco nodded, about to say something, when a low grumbling sound came from Hermione's stomach.

Hermione's cheeks flushed slightly as she placed a hand over herself as if to cover the noise. "I guess I'm a little hungry.."

Draco sat up in bed, and put up one of his giant paws to stop Hermione's protest. She nodded, letting him get up gingerly from the bed. When his feet were finally on the ground, he looked to look at her. "You will join me for dinner then." He walked towards the door, limping slightly as his muscles were still a bit sore from the fight. He turned to her as he neared the hallway. "And that's not a request." It was said with a hint of teasing and Hermione even swore she saw a wink.

She stood and crossed her arms over her chest, smiling slightly. "And if I don't want to?"

He shrugged. "Then go ahead and starve. But I'm going to have myself a _marvelous_ meal."

She rolled her eyes as he left, then followed after him to make sure he didn't fall the down the stairs on the way to the kitchen.

* * *

Dinner that night was one that Hermione would never forget.

Apparently the house elves liked to put on a show every now and again. Everything from the plates to the cutlery was _singing_ and _dancing_. Draco just sat back and watched Hermione watch the show. At one point she asked if everything moving was a house elf and he actually let out a laugh, the first one since Hermione had seen him these past weeks, and it made her smile in return.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "I only have five house elves. Everything else is just charmed to act on it's own accord."

"And this is all part of the curse?" she asked as a plate danced by, offering some pies and pudding on flambé.

Draco nodded. "Yes. I assure you, none of our silverware ever sang and danced for us before."

Hermione couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips.

When dinner was over, Hermione yawned into the back of her hand. "Well, I think I'm going to go bed. Do you need any help getting upstairs?"

Draco waved her off. "I'm fine. And, you don't have to stay here, you know."

"You sure?" she asked.

Draco nodded. "Positive. Since today was kind of a bust with researching, why don't you come back tomorrow, around noon?"

Hermione nodded back. "Alright. I'll just go grab my things and I'll see you tomorrow."

Draco watched as she left the dining room, letting out a sigh he didn't realize he was holding. When he heard her open and the close the front doors, he finally got up from his chair , groaning from the soreness.

"That was a very nice of her, to heal you like, wouldn't you say, Draco?" asked his mother. She had been uncharastically quiet throughout dinner and Draco knew she was waiting until Granger left to speak her mind.

"Yes, well, if she hadn't been stupid enough too-"

"Oh, stop it Draco. I know you used to have some sort of crush on the girl, even if you'll never admit."

Draco scoffed, "No I didn't-"

"You talked about her all the time, whether you realized it or not. You may have been complaining about her, but I saw that part of you was impressed with her as well." Draco's silence was confirmation enough for her. "Why don't you just tell her about the whole curse?"

"Because," he said tiredly, "It needs to be her choice, without her feeling like she _has_ to be with me in order to help break it. Besides, that was a few years ago, and I highly doubt she has feelings for me."

"She didn't _have_ to help you, Draco-" his mother started.

"Healing me is not the same as having feelings, mother. She's a bloody Gryffindor. It's in their nature to help," he said.

Mrs. Malfoy sighed, her tea cart wheeling itself away. "Alright my son. I'm going to retire for the night."

Draco walked next to the cart, placing a giant paw on his covered arm. "I want to do something for her… to thank her for helping me… but what?" he asked his mother.

"Well, there is the usual… flowers, chocolates… promises you don't intend to keep…."

Draco growled at his mother, but it was without heat. "No. it needs to be something that will spark her interest.." He smiled then. "And I think I know _exactly_ what she'll like."

* * *

That same evening, Cormac was sitting at the Leaky Cauldron, nursing a firewhiskey with a sullen look upon his handsome features.

"Hey Cor!" said Dennis Creevey as he sat next to his friend. He noticed the mood that Cormac was in and his smile dropped. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Cormac just grunted and took another swig.

"Let me guess… woman troubles?" Dennis said, elbowing Cormac playfully and winking. He motioned to the bartender for a drink.

Cormac smirked. "You can say that." He sighed, rubbing his tired eyes with his fingers. "It's Hermione. She keeps rejecting me. All I'm asking for is _one_ date." He let his head drop to the bar's counter with a small _thunk_.

Dennis placed a friendly hand on Cormac's shoulder and shook him lightly. "Come on Cor, you gotta pull yourself together…. It really disturbs me to see you like this, looking so down in the dumps."

Cormac sighed and sat up. "I'm fine. It's fine. I'll give her time to cool off and maybe try again in another week or so. I mean, she'd be stupid to keep saying no, right?"

Dennis nodded in agreement as his own firewhiskey was placed in front. He drank it down in one gulp and motioned the bartender to refill it.

"You know, every guy here would love to be you, Cor."

Cormac snorted into his drink, finishing it off and shook his head. "I doubt it."

"No, seriously! Even when taking your lumps, everyone admires you! You're the nicest bloke I know and everyone's favorite guy. And, if I must say, it's not very hard to see why." Dennis chuckled at his rhyme that he didn't mean to make before continuing. "You were popular in Hogwarts, were an amazing Quidditch player who even played pro for a year, not to mention the ladies are always fawning all over you."

"Yes, that's true," Cormac said contemplatively. "But the only lady _I_ want, is Hermione Granger." His face hardened as he muttered under his breath, unnoticed to everyone else around him. "And I _will_ have her, make no mistake about that."

* * *

 _A/N: I apologize once again for the wait. I've been having issues concentrating on writing again and then I had another plot bunny bug me until I started writing it down. I probably wont publish that one until it's nearly completed as I want to do it justice._  
 _My original plan with THIS story is to have it done before the Beauty and the Beast movie goes to theaters.. but that's less than a week away and I don't think it'll be done by then.. sorry!_  
 _I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Try not to burst into song at the end ;) ~HufflepuffMommy_


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: OMG I'm so excited! The movie is finally in theaters! Me and the hubby are taking the kids to see it tomorrow and I am SOOOOO excited. The kids are too. Woohoo! To celebrate, here's a chapter for you! I'm hoping to get all sorts of inspiration after watching the movie so I can write a TON this weekend! ~HufflepuffMommy_

* * *

Though Hermione was glad to be in her own bed, sleep was evading her. Sure, she was able to get a few hours of shut-eye but they were riddled with dreams of howling wolves, being chased, and blood. After tossing and turning, Hermione finally got out of bed at five in the morning.

Since she still had seven hours until she had to be back at Malfoy Manor, she decided to keep her mind occupied by cooking.

First, she started off making herself a wholesome breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, toast, and fresh squeezed orange juice. By the time was done preparing, cooking, eating, and cleaning up, she still had about six hours to go.

Groaning, she decided to bake some biscuits after all, if his packages from his parents at Hogwarts were any indication, Draco had a sweet tooth. Maybe bringing over some of her gooey chocolate chip biscuits would help lighten the mood today.

She baked five dozen, setting aside two just for Draco, one for Harry, one for Ron, and the last one for herself.

Still having some time left, she also baked an apple pie.

As she baked, she thought; She thought about the curse and what possibly could break it. Malfoy mentioned that the witch who cast it said he was acting like a beast, so she turned him into one. Maybe just being nice would break it? No, that's too simple and even someone like Draco Malfoy could feign niceness if he wanted. Though, possibly, it has to be genuine. She'll have to look into courses that focuses on changing one's personality.

She also thought about how Draco was able to finally break through the barrier of the front door. Could he still do it now? Or was it back in place? She'd have to test it out today when she went to visit.

When her wand buzzed, informing her that the pie was done, she pulled it out of the oven to cool while she finally got ready to head to the manor.

* * *

Draco paced the foyer, waiting for Hermione to show up. He knew what to "give" her, so to speak, and he was actually looking forward to seeing her face when he did.

He heard the distinct _pop_ of apparition and waited for her to open the manor doors.

"I have something for you," they both said at the same time.

Hermione chuckled awkwardly. "Mind if I go first? I don't want them to go bad, even if they do have a stasis charm on them."

Draco tilted his head curiously before nodding. Hermione pulled out two containers from her beaded bag, then enlarged them. She lifted the lid from the container on top and the smell of chocolate filled Draco's senses.

"I, um, had some time this morning, so I decided to bake. Two dozen chocolate chip biscuits in this one, and an apple pie in the other container," she said. "As a thank you... For dinner last night." She held out the containers for Draco, who took them in his giant paws.

"Thank you," he said, avoiding her gaze.

The tea-cart pulled rolled next to him and Mrs. Malfoy said, "Why don't you give them to me dear, and we'll have some after you show Miss Granger here her surprise?"

"Oh, yes. Her surprise," he said, placing the containers next to the delicate teapot carefully. When the tea cart rolled away to the kitchens, Draco motioned with his head, "It's um.. It's this way."

Hermione followed behind Draco, until she was tired of staring at his back, so she took a few quick steps to walk next to him.

"I don't think I've been on this side of the manor before," she said, looking around at the different paintings, statues, and other various things inside cases.

"This wing area.. Well, it belonged to my father," Draco stated. "We don't come down this way often, unless we need something."

Hermione nodded, stopping in front of a very tall window to gaze outside to the Malfoy Gardens. It was overrun with weeds and vines, but a few quick spells would fix that.

"Granger," Draco called, standing in front of a pair of double doors.

She walked over to him, curiosity etched on her face. She went to reach for the handles when Draco stopped her by placing a paw on her arm. She lifted a brow at him.

"Erm… close your eyes. It _is_ a surprise after all," he said.

Hermione huffed, but a smile tugged at her lips, as she closed her eyes.

Draco waved a hand in front of her face to make sure they were really closed. When he was sure they were, he pulled open the doors, which groaned and creaked.

"Don't open them yet," he said, seeing her about to open to ask. He grabbed her hands to pulled her in, walking backwards before had her stand in the middle of the room. "One second," he said.

Hermione chuckled as she put her hands on her hips. "This better be worth it."

Even with her closed, she could tell that the room they were in was dark… that is, until Draco pulled back the drapes and she could FEEL the sunshine on her skin.

"Now?" she asked,

"Alright...now," Draco said, facing her to watch her expression.

Hermione opened her eyes and gasped. The walls stretched three stories high, all containing books. There were rows of books, over 7 feet tall, all filled to capacity.

"This… this your library?" she nearly squeaked.

Draco nodded. "Yes."

"Have you read everything in here?" she asked curiously, walking over to the closest bookshelf, skimming the titles.

With a shrug, he said, "Not all, but a good portion. I didn't have many toys growing up, so I spent a good chunk of my time reading." He followed her around while she glanced at the different shelves.

"I'm going to assume that they're broken down into sections?" she asked.

To answer, Draco pointed to the wall to the right of them. "That section over there is Wizarding literature. And over there," he said, pointing next to it, "Are muggle ones."

Hermione's eyes widened. "You have muggle books?"

Draco shrugged. "A book is a book. The muggle ones we don't take too seriously and just enjoy them for what they are. We also have books in different languages such as Latin, German, Spanish, Greek.. You name it, we have it."

"And what about books on magic? Spells and curses and the like?" she asked.

Draco took her towards the back of the room. She could feel the energy change in this section. "This is where we house our magic books… whether my old school books or dark magic. And the ones in the glass case," he said, indicating to enclosed bookshelf. "Are the dangerous ones. You have to go through many wards to get to those."," he informed.

Hermione kneeled in front of the encased bookshelf, trying to skim the titles but most were in a language she didn't know. She placed a hand on the glass and she could feel the hum of magic. She glanced over at Draco before standing up.

"So, why are you showing me all of this? Does this mean I can finally do research in your library?" she asked, trying to not seem excited by the prospect.

Draco nodded. "Yes. Actually, I'm giving you full access to anything in here. If you want to look at a book in the enclosed case, just say the word and I'll tell you how to go about it. There's a catch though."

She raised a brow. "Oh? What's that?"  
"You have dinner with me, whenever you come over to use the library," he said. When both her brows raised, he added, "It was mother's idea."

She was surprised at that. "Oh… I guess that's alright then."

Draco nodded as Hermione resumed scanning titles.

There were plush chairs all throughout the library and Draco sat in one as he watched Hermione pull books from the shelves and stacking them on a nearby table until he grew bored and plucked a random book nearby to read. When Hermione's pile was nearly three feet tall, she looked over at him sheepishly, "I think this should do for now."

Draco closed the book he was reading and chuckled. "Would you like assistance with the research?"

"I will, yes, but right now, I wanted to test a theory of sorts," she said.

It was his turn to raise a brow. "Oh? What kind of theory?"

Hermione sat down next to him in an adjoining chair. "Yesterday you were able to break through the wards and leave the manor to save me. Have you, well, tried leaving the manor since then, to see if they're back in place?"

Draco shook his furry head. "No. I've been accustomed to just not leaving the manor that I didn't even occur to me that maybe I can leave now. Though," he chuckled bitterly, "It's not like I can _go_ anywhere, even if I could. If anyone were to see me like this, there would be mass hysteria."

"You can always try the gardens?" suggested Hermione. "Just to get a bit of fresh air and look at something different other than these four walls."

"There are many more than just four walls in this Manor, Granger," Draco said flippantly.

Hermione rolled her brown eyes. "You know what I mean." She got up and started walking towards the doors. She looked behind her and saw that Draco was still sitting in his chair, looking at her with confusion. "Well? Come on," she said.

"Where are we going?" he asked while standing and walking over to her.

"To see if you can leave the manor," she said exasperatedly. "Honestly Draco, I was just talking about it."

She prattled on about her theories as Draco slowed his pace and walked behind her, smiling to himself softly and liking the way his given name sounded coming from her.


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: My family and I saw the new Beauty and the Beast movie last weekend and it was simply Ah-MAY-ZING! If you haven't seen you, go! Now! It's beautiful and Emma Watson is a wonderful Belle and her yellow dress is just STUNNING! And yes, I sang while I watched the movie, so did my girls. And the whole "gay" scene was blown waaaaay out of proportion, as I suspected._  
 _I was hoping after I saw the movie that it would motivate me to write some more, and it still took a while, but I finally got a flow going again! Hope you enjoy this chapter. ~HufflepuffMommy_

* * *

"Come on, Malfoy. Don't be such a baby," Hermione said from other side of the doorway.

"I'm not a baby," grumbled Malfoy, crossing his big, furry arms across his chest.

"Fine, don't be such a _puppy_ then," Hermione said sarcastically.

Draco glared at her but all it did was make her giggle quietly into her hand. They were standing only a few feet from each other, but Draco was still inside the manor while Hermione was standing outside at the entrance of the gardens.

"Come on, just try it," she coaxed again. "If I was able to touch the door handle and not have to use magic to open it, I'm sure you can walk through the door and not get a single hair on your body harmed."

Draco grumbled. "Fine. But if you're wrong. You'll owe me."

"Fine. I'll bake you another pie" she said.

That perked Draco's interest. He sighed a deep sigh, then moved his foot so that only his toe was near the threshold. He closed his eyes and moved his foot closer, then over, until one foot was completely on the other side. He opened it eyes, wide in shock.

"See," Hermione said with a knowing smile. "Nothing to worry about."

Draco stepped his other foot so that he was completely outside. "Don't have to brag, Miss Smarty Pants. You can't blame me for being cautious."

"I suppose," she said with a shrug as she turned away and started walking the garden path. She looked sadly among dying plants. "I can try and fix these for you… if you like."

Draco scratched his head where one of his horns protruded from. "If you want. I never really cared about the gardens. But mother… I'm sure she'd like it if you helped spruce things up a bit."

Hermione squatted at a nearby flower bed to inspect it further. "When the weather gets warmer, I can help replant and salvage what's here. My mum was an excellent gardener; 'a natural green thumb' my father would say."

Draco frowned in confusion. "Did you just say your mother has a _green thumb_?"

Hermione chuckled as she stood up and wiped dirt from her hands on her pants. "It's an expression. If someone is really good at growing and caring for plants, they have what some people call a 'green thumb'."

"Well, that's a weird saying," muttered Draco.

"Oh, like saying "Merlin's Pants" is any better?"

Draco snorted and shook his head. "No, I guess not."

They walked the gardens for some time, making idle chit-chat as Hermione took note of everything that needed to be fixed.

When they made their way back inside, Mrs. Malfoy had tea set up with a plate of Hermione's homemade biscuits.

"What about the apple pie?" Draco asked.

"That will be dessert for _after_ dinner tonight. You will joins us, won't you Miss Granger?" asked the porcelain matriarch.

Hermione made a slight nod and smiled. "Yes, I will."

Dinner that night was a much quieter affair than the previous one. It was just the two of them, with Mrs. Malfoy rolling between the kitchens and the dining room. When dessert was brought out, Hermione cut herself a piece of pie and slided the rest of the pan over to Draco. He lifted a brow and she just smirked.

Not even bothering with eating utensils, Draco lifted a chunk of pie from the pan and stuffed it into his mouth, causing his cheeks to comically puff out from fullness, which made Hermione laugh.

Afterwards, he let her choose a few books from his library to take home for the week and she stuffed three of them into her beaded bag, thankful she never took out the enlargement charm.

"As long as nothing comes up, I'll be back next Saturday, around noon. I'll owl if I can't make it-"

"Remember to-"

"Yes, I know, owl by night only. Oh, and don't forget to read the books I left out for you. We'll compare notes when I return."

"Giving me homework assignments now?" he snarked lightly.

"Well, do you have anything better to do?" she asked with a raised brow.

He gave an indifferent shrug.

"You can always pull weeds," she suggested cheekily.

"I think I'll make due with the _homework_ , thanks," he said, rolling his eyes.

"I thought so," she said, shifting her bag on her shoulder. "Seriously though, make sure to get outside and get some fresh air. Might do you some good," she said as she opened the manor door (without magic) and apparated away with a faint _pop_.

* * *

"There you are," Harry said, as he rounded the corner to Hermione's cubicle the follow day. "I stopped by your place a few times over the weekend and you were never home. Where were you?"

"Sorry Harry," said Hermione, looking up from the paperwork on her desk. "I was busy."

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Busy with _what,_ exactly?"

"Just a side project I'm working on," she said, moving her attention back to work on her desk.

"Does it have to do with Malfoy?" he asked.

Hermione raised her head again, her face screwed up in confusion. "Why do you ask that?"

"Because ever since you followed up on Malfoy, you've been…. Well, I can't put a finger on it. But I know you're not telling me something and you're never this busy on the weekends."

"Honestly, Harry. It's nothing," she said.

"Then why not tell me what your project is about?" he asked, raising a brow.

Hermione sighed. "Because it's… private."

"For _whom_?"

A low groan escaped from the brunette's lips. "Harry, I really can't do this right now. I have a ton of work to do. Maybe we can meet up for lunch or someth-"

"Lunch, then. Today," said Harry. "I'll be by to pick you up at noon. Ron's doing fieldwork all day so it'll just be the two of us."

Before Hermione could argue, Harry left her cubicle. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose before taking a deep breath and returning to the work in front of her.

* * *

"OK, spill," said Harry as he and Hermione sat down at a muggle sandwich shoppe they frequented outside of the Ministry.

"Fine, if you simply _must_ know, yes; I am working on a project with Malfoy," she said before taking a bite of her sandwich.

"I knew it," he said shaking his head before taking a bite of his own lunch. "Why didn't you just tell me before?"  
"Because I knew how'd you act, which is just like this, by the way. Overprotective."

"Do you blame me?" he asked incredulously. "Working with Malfoy? You need to be careful around him-"

"You know, for someone who _testified_ for him, you sure do act like he's still a suspicious Death Eater," she said irritatedly.

"Just because I didn't think he deserved Azkaban doesn't mean I trust him or anything. Especially when it concerns you," he said, pointing a finger at her.

Hermione sighed. "He's not like that anymore. I swear it. He still has an attitude, but he's been decent to me. He's changed somehow… in more ways than one."

Harry stared at her for a moment before sighing in defeat. "Alright, fine. If you think he's changed and he isn't treating you terribly or calling you names, then I guess I can _try_ to not be so overprotective."

She gave him a smile. "Thanks, Harry."

"So what exactly is your project with Malfoy about anyways?" he asked curiously.

Hermione nibbled on a crisp as she thought about the best way to go about explaining the situation. Ultimately, she decided to go with the truth; mostly. "About a year ago, Malfoy was cursed. Wait, let me finish," she said, sensing Harry's need to ask a million questions. "The curse basically locked him in his manor, which is why no one has seen or heard from him. The only reason why I know about it is because I had to go over and check on him."

"So, the curse was _what_ exactly? Keeping Malfoy contained in his manor? Doesn't seem to horrible..ow!" he rubbed the spot on his leg that Hermione kicked, but he saw the faint smile on her.

"No, that was just part of the curse. There's more to it, but it's not really something I can go into detail about. I've been going over on the weekends to help figure it out and how to break it or else this curse will be permanent."

"I'm probably going to regret asking this, but, is there anything I can help with?" Harry offered.

Hermione was about to shake her head, when she stopped and smiled. "Actually, maybe you can look and see what kind books are at Grimmauld Place? If you find any about curses with transformations…"

"Transformations? What-"

"Harry, please, no more questions. I promised Malfoy I wouldn't say anything to anyone and this is already pushing it."

Harry nodded. "Alright. So look for a book on curses that contain transformations, got it."

Hermione gave him a thankful smile. "Thanks, Harry. And, don't tell Ron about this…" she said, getting up from her seat to throw away the trash from her lunch. Harry followed suit.

"Trust me, I know, Besides, he's been preoccupied these past few weekends too…" he said, scratching the back of his head.

"Oh? What's he been up too?"

"He's, well, he's seeing someone."

"That's great!" she said, smiling genuinely. Even though she and Ron hadn't worked out, and they both agreed to just be friends, she was afraid he was holding out for her. "Who's the lucky girl?"

"Susan Bones," Harry said, opening the door for Hermione as they left the sandwich shoppe. "But don't tell him you know. I think he wants to tell you himself. I just figured I'd give you a heads up."

The rest of the conversation was lost as the pair of them left the building.

Cormac left the shoppe soon after, dropping the Disillusionment charm he used to follow and then listen to the conversation between Hermione and Harry.

"So, Malfoy got himself cursed, huh? And Granger's helping him break it... No wonder she keeps declining my requests for a date… I bet that no good dirty Death Eater scum has her imperioused!. I don't know why Potter doesn't see it, but I sure do. I have to get Hermione back… now just to figure out how."


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: This is the longest chapter written in this story so far. It's a pretty iconic scene and I hope I did it justice! Thank you all for patience while I write. I do promise that the next chapter is just about done and might be posted later today or tomorrow. ~HufflepuffMommy_

* * *

Hermione was exhausted. The following few weeks that followed her conversation with Harry were not one to be desired. Her workload seemed to have doubled, which honestly, she didn't mind _too_ much; Cormac kept coming around and asking about her weekend plans, and getting more and more irritated when she declined; Harry kept trying to ask about Malfoy's curse; and to top it off, she was nowhere close to solving the curse as she was when she first started.

As she lounged on her couch Friday night, she couldn't help but chuckle at the memory from last weekend. It had snowed the night before and Hermione convinced Draco to take a walk with her in the gardens, just like she'd been doing every time she visited; she didn't trust that he actually left the manor during the week. She had no idea what compelled her to do it, but when Draco's back was turned, she picked up a handful of snow and threw it at the back of his head. The look on his face was priceless. He turned slowly, his mouth hung open in surprise as she tried to stifle a giggle with her gloved hand. His gape turned into a mischievous grin before he bent over and scooped up as much snow his giant arms could gather. Of course Hermione, being the brightest witch of her age, saw what he was about to do, so as soon as Draco lifted the giant snowball above his head to throw it, she tossed another smaller one right at his face, causing _his_ snowball to fall on top of his head.

What ensued was about thirty minutes of them having a snowball fight until Hermione, her lips turned blue from being cold, called a truce. As they made their way back to the Manor with plans to sit in front of the fire and have some hot cocoa, Draco dumped a pile of snow on her head before walking inside, whistling to himself.

She supposed she deserved it, seeing as she _did_ start the snowball fight, but dumping snow on her during a cease-fire was simply uncalled for and demanded payback.

Her plans for revenge halted when she heard a pecking sound coming from the kitchen window. She got up and stretched before going over to let the eagle owl in.

"Hello Hercules. Did Malfoy send you?" she asked, stroking the owls head softly as he gave a soft hoot. He lifted his leg and offered her the letter that was tied to it. She untied the letter then gave him an owl treat she kept in a glass jar on her kitchen counter. When the owl didn't leave right away, she figured that he must be ordered to stay around until she sent a reply.

She sat her kitchen table, unrolling the letter and read the neater handwriting on the parchment. Malfoy must have spent some time writing this out, she mused.

 _Granger,_

 _My mother would like to cordially invite you over tomorrow, not for research, but for her own personal agenda - she wishes to have a ball, though the only occupants will be us. I know it sounds absurd, but she's going mad with boredom. She finally got the enchanted items in the manor to clean up the ballroom to her liking and now she insists that it gets put to use._

 _Please say you will join me tomorrow for an evening that will hopefully not be too uncomfortable. I promise to make it up to you if it is._

 _Send your response with Hercules._

 _Till tomorrow,  
_ _Draco_

 _PS Mother says that if you say yes, to just come as you are at 4pm - she has a dress that will simply be 'perfect for you' - her words. Apparently, I'm to have a bath… pray for me?_

Hermione nibbled her lip and a small, nervous laugh tumbled out. A ball? With just her and Malfoy? Really? That was simply absurd…. right?

Well, she didn't have any other plans and it might be nice to get dressed up a bit. Plus, Malfoy hasn't been _too_ bad lately.

She went over to her desk and pulled out some parchment and a pen to form her response.

 _Malfoy,_

 _I'd be honored to grant your mother's wishes and attend this ball of hers.  
_ _I will be at the manor at 4._

 _Until then,  
_ _Hermione._

 _PS - If it's horrible, I demand another dinner show at the manor, and your mother will have to perform as well this time._

She sent the letter off with Hercules before she changed her mind. She only hoped she wouldn't regret it.

* * *

Once again, Hermione got little sleep. This time, it was because her dreams were riddled with images from the Yule Ball in Fourth year, however, instead of being on the arm of Victor Krum, it was Draco Malfoy; human Draco Malfoy that is. He was older than his 14yr old self; probably around the age he is now. The dream itself was rather nice, as images of them dancing, laughing, and hanging out with each other and their friends played before her.

What troubled her though, was the emotions she was feeling towards the blond boy in the dream. There was friendliness, which is what they have know, but there was also something more. There was attraction. There was feelings. In one particular part of her dream, he kissed her hand and it sent tingles up her arm. She wondered what it would be like to _actually_ kiss him….

She woke up with a start as the Draco in her dream began to lean in to kiss her. She sat up, bringing her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around them as she tried to decipher what it meant.

 _I means you want to kiss Draco Malfoy_ , she thought, rolling her eyes at herself. However, in his current condition, there was no way that could work out. Aside from the curse though, was she really starting to have feelings for him? They _have_ spent almost every weekend together for about two months, so forming some sort for feelings for each other isn't all that surprising. However, he probably wasn't up in the middle of the night, pondering such things.

She willed herself to sleep, though she was restless and her dreams turned kept teasing her about passionate kisses and gentle touches.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Manor, Draco was tossing and turning as well, wondering if he was stupid for even letting his mother talk him into this absurd idea of hers. _She probably laughed her arse off and is only coming because she's pitties me in my current condition_ , he thought. He hoped not though. He would be lying to himself if he said he wasn't attracted to the bushy-haired girl. Sure, she got under his skin, but it was their bantering back and forth that he liked the most. She wasn't bad to look at either; her curls, while still bushy, were pretty when they were cascading down her back... or, hell, in a messy bun on top of her head, which she ended up doing after researching for a while. Her eyes were the color of chocolate, his favorite dessert, and she smelled like vanilla and lavender most days. Her smile was infectious and…. No! Stop! There was no way she had any sort of feelings for him so there was no use pining after her.

Right?

* * *

Despite her unsettling thoughts that night, Hermione still found herself in the spare room she deemed as "hers" at Malfoy Manor. Polly was there, along with Mrs. Malfoy on her tea cart (how she managed up the stairs, Hermione wasn't sure, nor did she ask). She was ordered to bathe, using the finest bath salts, soaps, and hair conditioners the Wizarding World had to offer. She had to admit, that using these products made her feel pampered and dare she say, sexy.

Wrapped in a plush robe that was infused with lavender, some enchanted hair styling objects came to life as they brushed, dried, and styled her hair. The end results was her hair half up in a bun while the rest was loose curls that went down her back.

Mrs. Malfoy told her to close her eyes as the dress was placed on her. It felt as soft as silk and went down to the tops of her feet. When Hermione opened them again, a full length mirror stood before her. Gasping slightly, she couldn't believe the person in the mirror as her.

She was dressed in a gown the color of gold, with sparkling embellishments that were probably actual gold sewn into the dress.

"Oh Mrs. Malfoy.. I can't…"

"You will, I insist. I bought this dress years ago and never found a reason to wear it. And I must say, it looks simply stunning on you, my dear. A much better fit on you than it ever was on me."

"I highly doubt that, Mrs. Malfoy, but thank you," Hermione said, smiling kindly at the teapot.

A few sparking bracelets, a simple, tear-drop necklace, and matching gold heels were added to the assumable before Hermione was deemed ready.

"Millie," said Mrs Malfoy. "Please go tell my son that Miss Granger is ready."

"Yes, Miss," said the goblet, as it bounced out of the room.

* * *

In Draco's chambers, he was grumbling at the comb and brush that were currently trying to rid his fur of knots. Thankfully, he had used a conditioning soap during his bath so it the process could have been much, much worse.

"Ow!" he growled at the hairbrush. He shook his head as it continued to torture him. "I'm not so sure this is worth it, Lumey."

"Does Master care for the girl?" the candelabra asked.

"I suppose… a little," the beast responded, and he winced when the hairbrush tugged a bit too roughly on a stubborn knot. He swore the brush was being harsh on purpose. "Fine, yes. More than anything, alright?"

"Then, yes Master, this is worth it," Lumey wisely said.

After what seemed like hours, Draco's fur was finally silky smooth and free of tangles. Merlin, he wished this curse was over already. He'd give anything to have his natural, silky locks again.

He dressed himself in dark blue formal dress robes and was looking himself in the mirror when Millie came bouncing into the room.

"Miss Granger awaits, Master," she informed him.

"Alright, thank you Millie. I'll be out in a minute," he told the goblet.

Draco took a few deep breaths. He didn't know why he was so nervous about this ball. It was just Granger, after all.

He walked out of his room with his head held high. When he got to the stairs that lead to the landing, he breath was nearly knocked out of him.

Hermione stood on the East Wing side of the stairs and was brushing the dress down in a nervous way. When she finally looked up, she blushed and gave him a smile. They both walked down their own set of stairs until they met in the middle.

"You look… beautiful," he said honestly.

Her blush reddened. "Thank you. You clean up nicely yourself."

"Shall we?" he asked, offering her his elbow.

With a nod, she linked her arm with his and the pair of them walked down the remaining set of stairs and headed towards the ballroom.

The door opened when they approached and Hermione gasped slightly at the sight before her.

The room was probably the size of the Great Hall, if not bigger. There were moving murals on the ceiling and walls, mostly of the night sky and different constellations. There were candles lit everywhere and off in the distance, as if on queue, a faint melody started playing.

Draco turned and bowed in her direction, offering his hand for the dance.

Hermione curtsied and took the offered hand as he led them to the middle of the dance floor.

He started them off in a slow, simple waltz, which Hermione was thankful for, as that was the only dance she really knew.

They didn't say anything as they danced, but they didn't need too as they were so much at ease with each other. Their movements were in sync and fluid as they danced their way across the dance floor. He spun her around, dipped her with ease, and lifted her every now again, earning a smile or laugh in return. They danced for what seemed like hours, never taking their eyes off each other. When the music finally stopped playing, Draco led her to the outside balcony for some fresh air.

"That was the most fun I've in a long time," said Hermione, turning to smile at him. "Thank you."

He nodded, smiling in return.

They watched the night sky for a bit until he cleared his throat. "Can I ask you something?"

At her nod, he said, "Do you like it here? I mean, when you come to visit? Or are you just coming over because you feel obligated too?"  
Hermione looked down at her hands as she spoke. "At first, maybe, I felt a bit obligated. I promised to help you find out how to break the curse and I don't like failing." She looked up at him, placing a small hand on top of his big one. "But, over the past few weeks, I've found that I've been looking forward to coming over, even if all we do is talk or walk the gardens. The manor isn't as scary as it was before and it feels… safe, somehow."

Draco dared not move his hand in fear of hers leaving his. He liked the feeling and only wished his weren't covered in fur or so big so he could actually hold hers in within his.

"If you could wish for anything… anything at all…. What would it be?" he asked.

"If I were honest… I'd love to see my parents again, just for a moment. I miss them, so much," she said, her eyes watering slightly.

"Are they…?"

"Oh, no. They are alive. They're just… well, before the start of the war, I wiped their memories of me and sent them to live in Australia. I tried to reverse it right after, but I couldn't. I was afraid if I kept trying that I would permanently damage their brains. So, for now, they are living a happy life, and that's all i really wanted for them, even if it is without me."

"I may have a way for you to be able to check in on them," he said, standing up, offering his elbow again.

She let him lead her to his chambers, where he pulled out a mirror from a drawer from the same table that the rose was on. She noticed that there weren't many petals left and she nibbled her lip.

"This mirror," he explained, handing it to her, "Will let you see anything. You just need to ask it," he said.

Hermione looked at him then held up the mirror eye level. "I wish to see my parents, please."

The mirror glowed bright before images of two people were displayed on it. They were on a beach, in lounge chairs, both reading books. They looked happy.

Hermione smiled and wiped a tear from her cheek as it escaped from her lashes. When the image faded, she handed back the mirror. "Thank you," she said quietly.

Draco shook his head. "Keep it. This way, you can check on them anytime you need."

Her heart swelled. "Thank you… thank you so much, Draco."

"You're welcome, Hermione."


	11. Chapter 11

Hermione hummed softly as she soaked in her bathtub. While it wasn't as big as the one at the manor, hers was still big enough. Her mind kept returning to the dance that she and Draco shared and she smiled at the memory. She knew, deep down, that he had changed and he was no longer the cruel boy he once was. She hoped as hard as she could that they will have a breakthrough of this curse soon before his change becomes permanent.

A knock at her front door pulled her out of her revier. With a frown, she slipped out of the tup, pulled on her robe and tied it around her waist before padding down the hall to the living room where the front door was located. She looked through the peephole and nearly groaned out loud.

It was Cormac; and he seemed to have a bouquet of flowers.

Honestly, when would this guy take a _hint_!

Irritated, she opened the door and glowered at the man in front of her.

Oblivious, Cormac smiled. "Good evening Hermione. Did I catch you at a bad time?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. I was in the middle of a bath." She leaned a hip on her doorframe. "What are you doing here, Cormac?" she asked.

"I came to see if you were home and if you wanted to hang out or something."

"Hang out?" she asked skeptically.

"Yes, well, seeing as how you won't go out with me, I thought I'd come over, just as a friend, and talk. There were actually a few work related things I wanted to discuss with you as well."

Hermione hesitated. "Well, I guess that's ok-" she said as she pushed herself upright.

"Great!" he said happily, stepping into her flat. "Oh, these are for you," he said, thrusting the dozen red roses into her hands.

Rolling her eyes behind his back, she said, "I'll just go put these in water and change. Have a seat on the sofa."

She waited until Cormac sat down before disappearing into her room, locking it with an audible click.

As soon as she did so, Cormac stood up and started rummaging through the items on her coffee table. Without finding what he was looking for, he went over to the bookshelf to look there. Still unsuccessful, he pursed his lips as he scanned the small living room. That's when he saw it: a notebook, shoved underneath a pile of books on her dining room table. Quietly and carefully, he walked over to the stack of books. Glancing at Hermione's bedroom door to make sure she wasn't opening it, he pulled the notebook out swiftly. He opened it and thumbed through it, trying to gather as much information as he could. Something about a curse…transformations…. an enchanted rose… barriers on the manor. On the final page was a drawing of a huge monster.

' _Odd'_ , he thought to himself, ' _Why would Hermione have this drawing in her notebook that's supposed to be about Malfoy... unless…'_

He squinted at the drawing and realized that the similarities between the beast and the Malfoy heir were eerily similar…

"What do you think you are doing?!" Hermione screeched as she crossed the room in a flash and plucked the notebook from his hand. "You have _no_ reason whatsoever to be going through my things!"

"Was that Malfoy?" he asked, ignoring her. "Why is he looking like _that_?"

"That is none of your concern! Now tell me why you are going through my things," she asked again.

Cormac shrugged. "I was curious about this 'project' you were working on with Malfoy." Hermione went to speak but he held up a hand to stop her. "Don't deny it. I heard you telling Potter that you've been spending your weekends at _his_ place on some project."

"Wha-How… Were you _following_ me?" she asked, flabbergasted.

"I had to," he said, shrugging again. "You kept avoiding me."

Hermione pinched the bridge of her nose and groaned in frustration. "I was avoiding you because you won't take 'no' for an answer! I don't want to date you, Cormac. I don't know why you're so obsessed with me but there are plenty of other witches out there who would love to-"

"I don't want those other witches, Hermione. I want _you_." He reached out to stroke her cheek, but she batted his hand away.

Hermione shook her head. "Well, I don't want _you_ ," she retorted

Anger flashed in his eyes. "What? You'd like someone like _that_?" he asked, motioning to her notebook that she tucked under her arm. "You'd rather be with a beast like Malfoy than with a respectable Wizard such as myself?"

"He's no monster, Cormac. You are. Now get out of my flat," she said, pointing to do the door.

He put up in hands in mock surrender as he started walking backwards towards the door. "Alright, fine. Have it your way. But you can't keep his secret from the Wizarding World forever, you know."

"Is that a threat?" she asked, glaring at him.

"Who me? I would never threaten you Hermione. Just say you'll be with me and-"

"Never!" she said, shoving him out the door, slamming it in his face.

"Have it your way then," he said quietly from behind the door.

She waited until she heard his footsteps walk away before she finally let out a shaky breath.

This was definitely a problem.

* * *

Hermione apparated to the Manor soon after Cormac left. She had to warn Draco, just in case Cormac was planning something. She let herself in and called out for him once she closed the door.

"Hermione?" he asked, rounding the corner. "I thought you said you'd be back next week… Is everything alright?"

"I'm not sure, honestly," she said, going to the entry room to sit down on the couch. Draco followed behind and sat next to her.

"Care to share with the class, Miss Granger?" he asked cheekily, trying to lighten the tension she seemed to be carrying.

She chuckled lightly before sighing and sitting back into the plush couch and groaning. "Do you know Cormac McLaggen?" At his nod, she continued. "Well, he weaseled his way into my flat today and found my notebook about your curse. I'm not sure how much he saw but I do know he saw a drawing I did of you."

Draco cursed under his breath and shook his head. "Why would you let that tosser in your flat? I thought you said he was bothering you about dating him?" he asked.

"Trust me, this was the first and last time he will be," she said angrily and stood up to pace. "He came over saying something about just hanging out as friends and wanted to talk about work. I had just gotten out of the bath and was only in a robe when he knocked on the door, so I went to my room to change, and when I came back from my bedroom, he was flipping through my notebook. Which, by the way, was under a stack of books so he was purposefully going through my things."

"What did he say when he saw it?"

She told him everything, word for word. Draco was silent for a while as he thought about what had transpired.

"Draco… say something," Hermione pleaded, sitting down next to him again. "I never meant for anyone to find out, you must know that."

Draco looked into her eyes and nodded. "I know. But I think, for now, it's best if you don't come around here anymore." He stood up and walked away, his back towards her.

"What are you saying?" she asked, taking slightly aback.

"I'm saying, you don't have to help me anymore. You can leave and not worry about returning. I'll be fine on my own. I don't need you getting hurt because of me."

"Draco, it's not _me_ I'm worried about, it's you! I won't let him come and do whatever he plans to do," she said fiercely.

"I can take care of myself," he said, turning around to face her, his anger rising. "I don't need some bushy-haired Gryffindor to help me out. Now go. I don't need you, or your help."

Hermione stood up. "Fine. I'll see myself out."

She grabbed her things and walked towards the front door, apparating as soon as she stepped through the threshold. Draco could have sworn he saw a tear fall down her cheek before disapparating.

Growling with frustration, he punched a hole in the wall right as his mother rolled into the room.

"Draco! What was all that about?" she asked. "What that Miss Granger who just left?"

"Yes, and she won't be back. I told her to go and never come back," he stated.

"Why in Merlin's name would you do something like that?" his mother asked.

"Because… I don't want to her get hurt because of me," he said, turning away.

Mrs. Malfoy sighed. "After all this time.. You finally learned to love."

Lumey, who bounced up onto the tea cart, asked "Will that break the spell, Missus Malfoy?"

"I don't know if it's enough," she said sadly. "She has to love him in return."

Not wanting to hear anymore, Draco bounded out of the room and up the stairs towards his chamber, locking himself away from the rest of the world for the time being as he watched another rose petal fall slowly onto the table.


	12. Chapter 12

The moment Hermione's feet touched the floor of her flat, she went straight for the floo powder on her fireplace mantel and tossed some into the hearth. Getting on her knees, she shouted "Grimmauld Place!" and stuck her head in.

"Harry! Harry are you there?" she called out.

Footsteps pounded and Harry came skidding to a halt, dropping to his hands and knees. "Hermione? Everything alright?"

"No. Come over, please? We need to stop Cormac," she said.

Harry nodded. "OK, step back, I'll be over in a second."

She pulled her head out of the fireplace and started pacing. Within seconds, Harry stepped through.

"Hermione, what's happening? What's Cormac up too?"

"He knows. He knows about Draco. About his curse… about what he looks like… everything!" she said.

"How did he find out?" Harry asked.

"He came over earlier today and went snooping through my things and found my notebook. He said if I didn't be with him then he'd tell everyone about Malfoy. We need to stop him, Harry but he could be anywhere," she said frantically, tugging on her hair.

Harry shook his head. "No I know where he is. I saw him a little bit ago at the Leaky Cauldron. He's probably still there. Come on."

They took turns tossing in a handful of floo powder and landing, one after another, into the Leaky Cauldron. The site before them was one that Hermione was dreading.

In the middle of the pub was Cormac, surrounded by a handful of drunk wizards, hanging on to every word he was saying.

"I'm telling you, he's huge, about ten feet tall, with a large, ugly snout and sharp, cruel fangs!" Cormac said, trying to rile up the crowd. He saw Hermione out of the corner of his eye and turned towards her. "Isn't that right, Granger? He _is_ your little pet project, after all."

"Cormac," she said, walking over to him and grabbing him by the arm to pull him aside. "I'm begging you. Don't do this. He's changed! He's not the same as he once was. He's kind and gentle… he's my friend."

Cormac pulled his arm out from her grip, speaking loudly. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you had feelings for _Malfoy_."

"That is none of your concern if I do or do not!"

"You're crazy and belong at St. Mungo's!" he shouted, earning a round of praise from the drunks around them. He turned back to the them, stepping onto a table.

"For all we know, he'll take off with our children… coming after them in the night!"

"No!" shouted Hermione.

Harry stepped up beside her. "Come on McLaggen, I think that's enough."

Cormac ignored them both, however, and continued. "We're not safe until his head is mounted on a wall. I say we kill the beast!"

There was thunderous applause and agreement as people started talking about storming up to Malfoy Manor.

"Cormac, I can't let you do this," said Harry. He pulled out his wand but Cormac was quicker, using expelliarmus on both Harry and Hermione, and pocketing their wands before bounding them. "If you're not with us, you're against us. You two!" he said, pointing to some random wizards. "Lock these two in one of the side rooms. We can't have them running off to warn the creature."

"Let us out! Untie us Cormac!" yelled Hermione.

Her yelling was no use. She and Harry struggled with the binds as they heard everyone from the other room start to disapparate.

"What are we going to do Harry? Draco can't use magic! He'll be defenseless!" she said.

"We'll think of something….I know it," said Harry, fighting against his binds.

The doors to the room rattled for a second, then clicked open. Harry and Hermione stared in shock as Luna walked in.

"Hullo Harry. Hi Hermione. Need any help?" Luna asked cheerfully.

"Luna!" Hermione said thankfully, "Yes, please. Can you get these binds off?"

With a nod, the blonde witch waved her wand towards her friends and undid their bounds.

"Thanks Luna," said Harry. Then he looked at her curiously. "How come we didn't see you in there earlier?"

"Oh no one hardly notices me," she said airily. "Then with Cormac was going on about Malfoy, I used a disarmament charm to go unnoticed until they left."

"Well, you're a life-saver," said Hermione, hugging the other girl. She turned to Harry. "I'm heading to the manor. You coming?"

Harry nodded, "Yes, I'll be right behind you."

"Oh, is there a captive's reunion going on at the Malfoy's? May I join?" Luna asked.

"Draco's in trouble, Luna. We're going to help him," Hermione said. She stepped away from her friends and turned on the spot, disapparating with a faint _pop_.

Meanwhile, at Malfoy Manor, Cormac and his friends started apparating all around the perimeter.

"Come on," said Cormac, leading the way to the front entrance, his wand out in front of him.

Draco, who was standing on his balcony watched as the mob of wizards started firing spells at the front door, trying to open it.

He didn't care. He just tossed away the only person who he cared about, aside from his mother.

"Sir? The manor is under attack," Lumey said.

Draco sighed. "It doesn't matter. Let them come." He slouched against the banister of his balcony, waiting for his fate.

Once Cormac and his gang were able to blast the door away, they all walked in quietly.

"Take whatever you can find, but remember, Malfoy is _mine_ ," he said in a low voice. The other wizards nodded and started trailing off, going their own way while Cormac went straight for the stairs. Once he got to the landing, he could only guess that the direction he should go would be the one with scratch marks that riddled the walls.

Walking slowly down the hall, his wand in front of him, he came upon the set of double doors that led to Draco's chambers. They were ajar so Cormac had no issues slipping in quietly.

He found Draco sitting on the balcony, facing him.

"So it's true," taunted Cormac, walking up to Draco slowly. "The famous Draco Malfoy has been turned into a beast. I always knew you'd get what was coming to you."

"What do you want, Cormac," Draco asked wearily.

"I want to know what spell you have Hermione under," he said.

"She isn't under any spell. I can't do magic anymore," Draco stated.

"You're lying! There's no way Hermione would choose you over me unless magic was involved!"

"Think what you want," Draco said with a shrug. "It doesn't matter to me."

Cormac shot a stinging hex at Draco, making him wince.

"What's the matter? Too kind and gentle to fight back?" Cormac shot another hex Draco's way.

Draco turned his head to the side, and noted another person apparating near the manor. He glanced over and saw that it was Hermione.

"Hermione?" he said.

"Draco!" She called up. She saw that Cormac was advancing on him and she shouted, "Cormac! Stop!" before running through the manor doors.

Knowing that Hermione was there gave Draco the strength he needed. Just as Cormac was about to throw another hex, Draco stood up and batted his wand away, making it land away from them.

Cormac, now wandless, did the only thing he knew to do… he punched Draco right in the face. His hand collided with one of the fangs though, and he let a yelp as his hand broke on the contact.

Draco advanced on the other man and Cormac tried to scrambled away, but he wasn't quick enough. Draco grabbed him by his cloak and dragged him over towards the balcony, holding him out at arm's length. He wasn't planning to let go; he just wanted to scare the shite out of the bastard.

Dangling over the edge, Cormac pleaded, "Please, no! I'll do anything! Anything!"

With a satisfied smirk, Draco brought him back to the safety of the balcony.

"Get out," he snarled. "And leave Hermione alone." He dropped Cormac, who crumpled to the ground.

Draco turned away from Cormac, right as Hermione stepped in through the double doors.

"Draco!" she said, relieved he was ok.

He smiled at her. "Hermione," he said softly.

As they walked towards each other, they heard Cormac yell, " _Sectumsempra!_ "

Red blood seeped through Draco's clothes.

"NO!" shouted Hermione. She raised her wand and yelled " _Stupefy!_ " and Cormac was blown back by the force of her spell, toppling over the edge of the banister and falling three stories down to the grounds of the manor.

Hermione, breathing heavy, dropped her wand, then fell to her knees as she started to cry.

Draco was on the floor, bleeding out and gasping for breath next to her. "You… you came back."

"Of course I came back, you idiot! I couldn't let them…. Oh this is all my fault!" she said, wiping away her tears.

Draco coughed and some blood sputtered out of his mouth. "At least I got to see you… one last time."

"Don't say that!" she said, pleadingly. "I'm here now, I'll heal you. You'll be alright." As if to make a point, she grabbed her wand and pointed it at his seeping wounds.

Draco shook his head and lifted his paw to place on top of hers, which seemed to take most of his strength to do so. "It's too late... Hermione…. I lov-"

Draco's eyes rolled into the back his head, and he took his last breath.

Hermione let out another sob as she buried her face into his chest.

"Please," she begged. "Please don't go. I love you."


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N: So, today is my birthday and I decided to gift to, as well as me... the 13th and FINAL chapter of this story! I had so much fun writing this and I hope you all enjoyed it! I tried to put in as much of the BatB story as possible, but obviously, I had to change a few things around. I have another fic in the works, but I want write it out a bit more before I start posting it, so keep on on the lookout! ~HufflepuffMommy_

* * *

As Hermione professed her love, and Draco lay there, lifeless, Mrs. Malfoy rolled up slowly on her tea cart. She had seen the whole thing and glanced over at the rose, noting that the last petal had fallen.

They were too late.

Sadly, she rolled out slowly out of the room.

The only sound that could be heard in the room was Hermione's sobs.

But then, Draco started to glow. Hermione lifted her head and gasped as she stood up.

Draco's body lifted from the floor and the glowing emanating from him seemed to get brighter and brighter, until she was forced to close her eyes.

When she opened them again, Draco, the _real_ Draco, lay on the floor where his beast form once was, and was stirring slightly.

She stood back, unsure if she should go him, as he rolled over onto his stomach and pushed himself up slowly. He glanced at his hands, then down at his body before turning around quickly, his eyes locking on Hermione's.

"It's…it's me. It's really me," he said in disbelief.

Hermione's eyes watered as she smile and nodded. "Yes, it is. You broke the curse."

Draco walked straight up to her and crushed his lips onto hers.

"No, you broke the curse. It was all you," he said, kissing her feverishly.

"Me?" she asked, breathlessly. "But how-"

"It was a love curse. It could only be broken if I could find love, and have them love me in return," He lifted his head and looked into her eyes again. "I never told you that because I wanted to love me on _your_ terms, and not be influenced by some stupid curse."

Hermione's arms wrapped around his middle and she hugged him tight. He returned the gesture and they stood there, swaying on the spot, breathing in each others scent and relishing in each others warmth.

They were interrupted when Harry ran into the room, looking frantic.

"Hermione!" he said. "There you are!" He stopped, noting that she was wrapped around Malfoy. "Malfoy? Is that really you?"

Draco nodded as Hermione smiled, letting go of Draco to give Harry a hug. "Sorry if I worried you, Harry. Cormac attacked Draco and then- oh no, Cormac! He fell over the side-"

"He's fine," Harry said quickly. "I saw him falling and caught him before he reached the ground. He'll be heading to Azkaban as soon as we clear out of here."

Hermione sighed, relieved, then looked over at the door as someone else entered.

"Mother," Draco said, walking over to the tall, blond woman who was looking at everything in disbelief.

Hermione smiled as she watched Draco and his mother, happy to see that everyone was back to normal.

When Narcissa finally let go of her son, she looked over at Hermione and smiled. She walked over to the brunette and, without a word, hugged her as well, shocking everyone in the room.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Hermione squeezed her eyes shut and returned the hug.

When they finally released each other, Draco walked up next to Hermione, slipping his hand into hers, interlocking their fingers together.

Harry looked at the three other people in the room before fidgeting and scratching his head. "Well, I need to get going. McLaggen is downstairs in a full body bind and I should probably take him into the Ministry."

As Harry walked out, Narcissa looked at her son and Hermione. "Well, I think the first thing I'm going to do, now that I'm back to myself, is have a nice, long bath. I'll see you two later?"

At their nod, she kissed her son's cheek and squeezed Hermione's hand before leaving.

Alone again, Draco tugged at Hermione's hand and led her to one of the sofa's in his room.

"So what's the first thing you want to do now that you're back to normal?" Hermione asked.

Draco grinned and leaned over to kiss her softly. Hermione giggled and pushed him back slightly. "I'm serious," she said.

"Well, probably a shower without having use a whole container of conditioning potion, and then maybe, go out? Take a walk in Diagon Alley. Visit the bookstore, the quidditch shop...get a new wand." He looked over at Hermione, moving a wayward strand of hair behind her ear and rubbing his thumb against her cheek. "Would you care to join me?"

She smiled at him, turning her head slightly to kiss the palm of his hand. "I'd love too.

They kissed again, softly and slowly, both not wanting to take it any further just yet.

Hermione rubbed her thumb along his chin when they broke apart and she frowned.

"What?" he asked.

"Well, I was wondering," she looked up into his steel grey eyes and asked very seriously. "What would you think about growing a beard? I've grown rather used to how you looked the past few months and-"

She was cut off by his lips crushing hers and she could have sworn she heard him growl.

* * *

The following winter found the couple strolling down Diagon Alley hand in hand. They nodded and smiled as they passed by other witches and wizards and Draco shook his head. "I don't know if I can ever get used to people treating me this way…"

"In what way? Cordially?" Hermione asked.

Draco nodded and Hermione halted their steps. She placed both her gloved hands on his face and looked him straight in the eyes. "They are treating you this way because you've earned it, Draco Malfoy. _You're_ the one who has set up homes for those who lost theirs in the war. _You're_ the one who started up the company Malfoy's Potions and deliver them worldwide to all the wizarding hospitals for _free_. _You're_ the one who donated money to St. Mungo's to go towards the mental health ward. _You're_ the one who-"

"Ok, ok I get it," said Draco, chuckling lightly and blushing a bit. He leaned down and kissed Hermione softy. "You know I couldn't have done any of it without you, right?"

"That's what makes us such a great team," she said, beaming up at him.

Draco stared into her eyes for a moment before nodding to himself. He reached into his pocket and produced a small, velvet box and lifted it up to her eye level.

"What's… that?" she whispered.

"I've been waiting for the perfect time to give this to you. I thought maybe Christmas, but that was too cliche. I thought maybe New Years, after I kissed you, but again, cliche. I thought about Valentine's Day, but that's just too damn far away for me to wait to ask if you'd be my wife," he said breathlessly.

He stepped closer to her, resting his forehead against hers as they both watched him open the box. Hermione gasped at the ring inside. It was gold, with a ruby stone in the middle and emeralds down the side. It resembled, well... a rose.*

She finally tilted her head up to at him again. A smile formed on her face as she went on her tiptoes and kissed him softly.

"Yes," she whispered.

They were so close together, that even though they were in the middle of the sidewalk, surrounded by people, that no one knew what was happening.

Draco took the ring out of the box while Hermione took off her glove. The ring fit perfectly when Draco slipped it on.

Hermione threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. When she pulled away, she was wiping away tears from her face, but she was smiling.

They both turned back to the direction they were previously going, hand in hand again, and started to walk when an old woman pushing a wooden trolley cart suddenly stopped in front of them.

"I see congratulations are in order," she said. He handed Draco a rose and winked at him. "She is a beauty, Mr. Malfoy."

Before he could form a response, the old woman walked away.

Draco and Hermione looked at each other in disbelief.

"Was that…?" she asked.

"I think so," he said.

They both looked in the direction the elderly witch had taken, only to find that she had disappeared.

They looked at each other again, and smiled. Draco handed Hermione the rose and she inhaled the sweet fragrance.

They continued their walk, smiling to themselves. Draco heard Hermione chuckle and say, "I should write a book about this whole adventure. I have the perfect title for it too." She looked over at him, her eyes twinkling with laughter. "Beauty... and the Beast."

~Fin~

* * *

 _I know that ending was a tad cheesy, but I just loved it haha_

 _*This is the ring that Draco gave Hermione:_  
tomasz-donocik-18k-rose-gold-rubellite-lilly-pad-ring?gclid=Cj0KEQjw2fLGBRDopP-vg7PLgvsBEiQAUOnIXMgQcagdzBCt-CMZkVSs0-yYz5mvGIESdnkh5LHo57AaAu6N8P8HAQ


End file.
